


The Starlight Princess

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Transcendence AU [9]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Disney Movie style fairytale, Don’t copy to another site, Gen, Songfic, Transcendence AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-09-01 15:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20260060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: Once upon a time a princess who didn't know she was a princess lived in a small valley with her demon father. They were happy together and lived peacefully until the princess learned her true identity and set off to reclaim her kingdom from the evil King Cipher.(Or, an idea discussed on the TAU blog I promised to write and finally finished, of a Disney-esque movie starring Alcor and an incarnation of Mizar/Mabel.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic's been in the works for a long time - and the longest part was working on its soundtrack. You can hear it [HERE](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN). The story will have what song goes with which chapters/sections marked in the beginning notes.
> 
> This chapter's music: _Prologue – Instrumental – Morning Grace; The Deal Is Struck – Instrumental – The Sacrifice, Scar, Shukumei_

_Prologue – Instrumental – Morning Grace (Instrumental)_

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom. The kingdom was rich with abundance, thriving under the rule of benevolent, kind, and wise rulers. The land was bountiful and generous, providing more food than the kingdom needed. Mines in the mountains, dug and maintained by the dwarrow, were abundant in gold and silver and gems.

Even the poorest of shepherdesses could have a silver ring and gold locket for a lock of her lover's hair, and hunger and sadness were unknown in the kingdom.

And so the kingdom thrived, with all within it prosperous, healthy, and happy.

\---XXX---

But their fortune was also their misfortune. For the kingdom's neighbor was a larger kingdom, ruled by a harsh king who cared little for his people and their suffering, and who looked to the tiny kingdom as a golden prize to be won, its people subjugated, its lands plundered to fill his own coffers and fatten his own pantries.

\---XXX---

Time and again his armies prodded their borders, but they were repulsed by the magical beings who dwelt within, protecting their beloved homes. With trickery they stalled his armies, spoiling food and leading squadrons astray, until time and again the armies were forced to return home in defeat, out of supplies and with soldiers missing or decimated, unable time and again to cross deep enough into the borders to claim territory.

\---XXX---

And then, after much wishing, the Queen became pregnant. The kingdom rejoiced, for it seemed soon there would be an heir, and the line of succession secure. And many knew how the royal couple had longed for a child of their own.

\---XXX---

Then the Queen got sick.

Really, really sick.

So sick, they feared she may die.

The magicians and doctors of the kingdom tried everything, but despite all their efforts, she kept getting worse. Day by day she grew weaker, and it seemed that there was nothing they could do.

Finally, in desperation, the king called upon a demon for their aid, knowing he risked all but too desperate to stop.

The demon he called upon was Alcor, the Dreambender.

Now, Alcor is a demon, with all the whims and capriciousness that comes with being a demon.

But Alcor is also fair. And he cares for the weak, the young, the helpless and the innocent, rather than hunting them as most of his kind do.

But even so, he is still a demon. And the offer the king made was not thought out as it should have been, not when dealing with a demon.

So it was that, as Alcor stood ready and waiting to take the king's soul and finalize the deal, the subjects of the kingdom rose forth.

Each came forward to offer things they held dear. From the poorest peasant to the richest noble, they made their own offerings, begging the demon to save their Queen and the heir she carried. Their best cow, a beloved piece of jewelry saturated with memories, the stuffed doll they never put down and loved more than anything in the world.

And the demon hesitated.

For despite himself, Alcor, the only demon for whom it was possible, was touched by their loyalty, their love, and their willingness to sacrifice for another, to beg for the life of one they loved.

And so the demon bowed and would not accept their offerings, instead producing in a flash of blue flame a tiny vial that glowed with golden light.

This he gave to the King as the cure for the Queen, and only asked in return what was equal and fair, and to be allowed the free passage to be able to enter and leave the kingdom as he pleased, to keep an eye on the people who had touched his heart and the royal family that earned that love.

Ecstatic, the king agreed.

\---XXX---

The Queen was healed, and soon gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

All rejoiced, even the demon, who was seen to dote on the child when he thought none could see him.

And for a moment, everything was wonderful.

\---XXX---

And then that moment ended.

\---XXX---

_The Deal Is Struck – Instrumental – The Sacrifice, Scar, Shukumei_

The castle, always filled with the sounds of joy and laughter, a place of light and life and love, was filled with shadows and screams.

Metal clashed against metal, the guards and those who could find weapons trying to fight against soldiers that came in wave after wave, armored and with weapons of a quality far above what they should have been able to afford, hard and unrelenting.

Magical creatures fled from spells and cold iron, forced back and into hiding, helpless to fight against the weapons brought against them as death followed in the wake of the magic the invaders brought with them.

In the highest part of the castle the Queen fled, a bundle held close to her chest. Panting for breath, she ducked into the recess of a doorway. Gently she shushed the bundle she held, pulling the blanket away from her daughter's face.

Her tiny star stirred but did not wake. Grateful for the one reprieve of this terrible day, the Queen brushed a kiss over the downy soft fuzz of her daughter's hair before she began to run again.

Up the stairs she ran, her skirt held high, up through back corridors and hidden doors, up flights of steps that none but the royal couple knew of, until she stood in a tower high above the rest of the castle.

Incised deep into the stone floor of the tower was a circle, a circle of symbols and lines, complex and intricate.

The Queen released her hold on her precious cargo only enough to raise one arm, already cut in her escape. A drop of blood beaded on her finger, swelling and trembling on the very tip until finally it fell, splashing inside the deeply carved lines.

Immediately there was smoke, though no fire had been kindled, nothing lit the room save the light that came in through the room's one small window, smoke that billowed out from the lines of the circle.

Alcor was there in an instant, the suit that always was pressed and perfect and dapper mussed and torn and smoke stained, claws and teeth dripping red. Slowly he sank to the ground, kneeling before the Queen as a subject would, dropping to his knees as though the weight of the kingdom's fall rested on his shoulders alone.

He looked up the Queen solemnly, the eyes that had seen so much, that had glowed with such joy and pride the last the Queen had seen him now dark and filled with pain and sorrow.

Though she knew it was unlikely, the Queen still had to ask. “My husband...?”

Alcor's eyes closed briefly in pain, and the Queen felt pain keener than her enemy's swords pierce her heart. “The King has fallen,” the demon said, and pain laced his voice, head bowed as he delivered his grim news. “He has fallen in battle, and the enemy will not have his body, though they search for it. He is in the hands of allies, and they will see him laid to rest with honor. Our enemies search for you now, and the Princess.”

“How?” the Queen demanded, sudden fury breaking through her pain. “How has this happened? Why did you not protect us?”

Alcor looked up at her with ears flat to his head, eyes wide with pain and fury unfathomable to humans. “They have bound demons,” he said grimly, and even for a creature of such power there was fear in the words, fear of the slavery that a binding would mean, the absolute loss of control of the self that being bound meant for a demon. “I do not know how long they can keep them bound, but they are enslaved now. One or two I could fight, but not this many at once when directed by one like Cipher. I...I am sorry.”

The Queen bowed her head over her babe, her tears dotting the baby's cheeks. “No one can fault you for being unable to fight enslaved demons,” she said quietly. “For it's true, they can be forced to fight long after their bodies give out, and none can fight even one enslaved demon. That you would fight two for our sake...”

“I can save you, and the Princess,” Alcor offered, rising from the ground, reaching beseeching hands out to the Queen. “Please. She will need her mother, if she is to grow to regain this land someday.”

The Queen looked down at the baby in her arms. With a shaking hand she brushed the hair from her daughter's face, memorizing the tiny features.

“If King Cipher cannot find at least one of us, he will never stop searching until he finds us,” she said quietly. “A baby can be misplaced, but not a Queen.”

“But if you stay, he may kill you,” Alcor protested. “He is cruel, and this is a demon saying that.”

“Then it will crueler for him to let me live, and to watch my country be ravaged by him,” she said.

“But to secure the throne...” Alcor said, pausing as the Queen bowed her head over the baby. “Your Majesty, please. No deal necessary.”

“We both know that Mizar will be safer with you if I stay,” the Queen said, and Alcor bowed his head, humbled by the pain and sacrifice in her voice. “Much as I wish to come with her, to see her grow, to know her pains and joys, it is denied to me.”

The pair of Queen and demon heard noise them, feet on the hidden stair, and knew their time was short.

The Queen pressed another kiss to the silken hair of the child in her arms before holding her out to the demon before her, the tiny blanket wrapped bundle between them like a sacrifice.

“Please, take my Mizar. Raise her well, and teach her to be a Queen. Teach her to be strong, and to be kind, and to have courage. Stand by her when the time comes to reclaim our kingdom. Love her, for I know that of all your kind, you are the only one who can.”

Alcor hesitated, in awe of the burden and treasure that was being trusted into his hands. Slowly he reached out and took the tiny bundle, cradling the precious child against his chest. His eyes were fixed on the tiny face, all that could be seen of the Princess, and one could see the effort it took for the demon to look away from his charge and to her mother.

“I do so swear to you,” he said, raising his eyes again to the Queen, this brave Queen, who stood to lose all, yet still sent away her most precious treasure in the hands of a demon, with only her trust in him that he would stand by his word to care for her child, and the words Alcor spoke echoed with power, an oath sworn that could not be broken. “I will care for her and love her, and teach her all that I can, that someday she will be a true Queen.”

The door shook under the barrage of soldiers pounding upon it, the wood creaking under their strain, the castle's last attempt to protect its rightful occupants, but, weakened by the infection inside her walls, she did not last for long.

The door burst wide, with King Cipher in the lead, so eager was he for the spoils and the grasping of the kingdom's last, greatest, prizes.

Darting forward, Alcor pressed a kiss to the startled Queen's forehead, while all, King and soldier alike, watched with gaping mouth and eyes goggling, the baby hidden from their eyes under the folds of the night-dark wings that swooped from his back.

He glared at the invaders of their kingdom, and in a voice that was thunder, was the snap of the trapdoor, the swing of the axe, proclaimed, “She is under my protection. You have claimed this kingdom, but not _her_. Harm her, and no demon you enslave, no ward you construct, will be enough to protect you.”

With that, the demon was gone, and with him, the Princess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is...kind of different to my usual stuff, I'll admit. It'll settle down into a more normal style now that the prologue is over. :) I hope you all enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter:[ Instrumental – In a Hidden Grove – Flute Solo, Sunlit Garden; Mizar grows up – ALMA - Starlight; Instrumental - Meeting Cesar – Once Upon a Dream Instrumental - Lana Del Ray; Instrumental – Ever After – Utopia; Song – What More Is Out There](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg4OREDwy9k&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=5)

_Instrumental – In a Hidden Grove – Flute Solo, Sunlit Garden_

In a hidden grove, deep in the woods, cradled in a tiny valley, laid a little cottage. The cottage walls were whitewashed, its beams and door-posts and windowsills aged to dark wood and sheened to a satin shine with the passing of many hands.

Outside the cottage flowers ran wild, as if they were simply told to grow as they would, and ivy crept up the beams to tangle in the edges of the roof.

Inside sat a tiny girl at a table far too big for her, her legs swinging under her chair as she stared at her book. Longingly she kept peeking out the window at the golden sunshine, bright and thick as the butter she helped her father churn, that laid abundantly across the dancing flowers. The trees that ring their little grove sang in the breeze, the shadows under them promising coolness and air scented with sweet spicy pine.

She sighed heavily and the man across the room glanced over, eyes loving and indulgent. He put down the dress he had been mending and came to stand at the young girl's side, bending over her shoulder.

“What's wrong, little star?”

She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, too wide and innocent, pleading.

“Can't I go outside? It's too pretty out to stay in here all day!”

He hummed thoughtfully, looking down at her slate.

“Finish this problem and promise to finish the rest after dinner, and you may go outside.”

The little girl brightened and hurried to finish her problem, pushing away from the table and rushing for the door as soon as the last mark was made on her slate, free at last.

“You didn't promise yet,” the man called after her, unmoving and amused.

The girl paused, at the edge of freedom, caught. “Promise,” she called back, and then she was gone, with the sound of her father's indulgent laughter trailing after her.

\---XXX---

Mizar ran through woods dappled with sunlight and full of the sound of birdsong, over streams and around boulders, the forest as much her home as the cottage, seven years old and carefree.

She knew well the borders of her father's land, the border where his shields ended, as he walked them weekly, reinforcing them and watching them for weaknesses, and since before she could remember Mizar had walked them with her father, carried before she could walk and toddling after him once she could, her tiny hands mimicking the motions he made as he reinforced the wards, her voice an echo of his chants.

And Mizar knew well not to try to cross those borders, that her father would be there faster than a human should be able to move to take her back to the cottage, under his loving but watchful and protective eye, to not be allowed to roam freely until she promised to stay far from those borders he guarded so meticulously.

But for now, she was free as she could be.

\---XXX---

_Mizar grows up montage – ALMA - Starlight_

Mizar was eight, sitting by the fire, listening to her father tell stories as he combed her hair, playing with the dancing lights he conjured for her as playmates with eyes wide and full of wonder, little creatures the size of her father's hand with delicate wings and bright laughter.

Mizar was nine, and there was a boy in the forest. Antlers sprouted from his thick red hair, and he was the first person she'd ever seen inside her father's shields. They shared lunch and talked for hours. Her father shook his head when she returned, muddy and covered in leaves, and without a word passed between them Mizar found there was more food than before in the lunches she took into the forest.

Mizar was ten, running through the forest fleet as a deer, her best friend by her side, flowers and plants growing exuberantly in his wake and the trees bending down their branches as they passed.

Mizar was eleven, more and more curious about the magic her father wielded as easily as breathing, but refused to use other than small, household spells and the wards he walked around the valley. He could not teach her his kind of magic, he said when she questioned, when she tried to learn. But he could teach her other magic, he said as she geared up to protest. He would teach her her own magic.

Mizar was twelve, and for her birthday her father gifted her a bat, a weapon to train with. Beaming with pride, she gave it swing, enthusiastic and strong, and caught her father in the stomach. He folded over, air escaping in a strangled cry, and toppled over onto his back. Terrified, Mizar dropped the bat and fell to his side, both beginning to laugh as he sat up, clutching his stomach. Grabbing her up, he ruffled her hair and gave her a tight hug, rubbing cheeks lovingly.

Mizar was thirteen, and she practiced with her bat every day. Her father taught her, patent as ever, how to block, how to defend, how to strike. And now he began to teach her what to do should her bat be taken from her, how to summon it to hand, and how to devastate an enemy with no weapon at all.

Mizar was fourteen, and her father was teaching her politics, diplomacy, had already taught her languages. Was teaching her things a peasant girl had no need to know, but wouldn't explain why when she asked, said she would understand someday, he promised and directed her back to her studies. Studies she returned to even if she didn't understand why she needed to learn, since her father promised he would explain when she was older. Her father never broke a promise.

Mizar was fifteen, and growing rapidly. She rode alongside her father, neck and neck, she on a chestnut horse and he on a black horse whose eyes glowed in the shadows. They tore through the valley, wild and free but never crossing the border of her father's land.

Mizar was sixteen, and climbing the rocks by the waterfall that fed into the spring at the edge of the clearing that surrounded her father's cottage. She slipped more than once and nearly fell, but hauled herself to the top and to gaze out over the forests that surrounded her valley with longing.

Mizar was seventeen, and impatient. Her father said he would tell her everything he'd put off until she was older soon, but never when 'soon' was. She had read every book he owned, mastered all the lessons he'd set before her, and yet he still was on edge each time she asked, so she brought it up rarely.

Despite the impatience for her life to begin, Mizar was seventeen, and she was happy.

\---XXX---

_Background Music, Instrumental – _ _Once Upon a Dream Instrumental – Lana Del Ray_

Seventeen year old Mizar walked through the lengthening shadows of the forest, knowing she should go home before her father began to worry and feeling too rebellious to be ready to go back just yet. Her loose tunic was stained with grass, as were the knees of her trousers, both decorated with a collection of ribbons and shiny things she had collected over the years. At her sturdy belt hung the knife her father had given her, and the ring he had gifted glinted on her hand. She was almost an adult, she had been taught how to take care of herself, and she'd barely interacted with anyone outside this valley, save for the monthly trips she and her father took to the local village for supplies.

She was fair sure her father only took her along so she would have spoken to others besides him, but the friends she made there were only passing acquaintances, not true friendships like in the books her father had read to her that she now read for herself.

So lost in her thoughts was she, that Mizar didn't notice anything around her until her beloved pet pig, Waddles, stopped and squealed, pressing against her legs urgently.

Mizar started, eyes wide as she looked at the figure on the other side of her father's boundary, shadowed and eerie, barely seen in the gloom.

“Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you? I didn't mean to!” a young man's voice said, and he stepped out of the shadows into the fading light. His amber eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark, one hidden under the shock of blonde hair that fell over it. “I seem to be lost. You seem to know your way though these woods. Could you tell me where I am?”

“You're in my father's valley,” Mizar said cautiously. For all she wanted company, this man was a stranger, someone she'd never seen around the nearby village, and she knew well enough from listening at the village that there was no other for a goodly distance.

The strangers grinned, his whole face lighting up with the expression. “I can tell from your face that I'm more lost than I thought,” he said. “But it was worth it to meet someone like you.”

Mizar felt herself blushing. “We haven't even exchanged names yet,” she said, even as her heart fluttered. This was just like in her books, only it was happening now, to her!

The stranger's eyes glittered as he grinned again, clicking his heels together and dropping into a courtly bow. “How rude of me!” he said, laughing. “William, at your service, my lady.”

“Mizar, at yours,” she replied, sweeping into the curtsy her father had taught her, despite her sturdy, stained pants and shirt.

“Like the missing princess,” William said, and Mizar beamed.

“Yes, exactly,” she said. Eager for news of the world outside her valley, Mizar sat on a nearby fallen log on the other end, gesturing for William to join her, both of them on their own side of the border. Any news in the village was out of date from the distance it had to travel, as few people in the village had business in the capital, and she wanted to hear a new voice, watch a new face as he told her the latest news.

“King Cipher is looking for the lost princess again,” William said. “It's all anyone in the towns can talk about. His son, Prince Cesar, is old enough for marriage. Speculation says they're hoping to marry the lost princess to him.”

“What about the Queen?” Mizar asked.

William tilted his head, that lock of blond hair falling further across his face. “What about her?” he asked.

“Well, I can't imagine she's happy about the idea,” Mizar said slowly. “Of seeing her daughter married to the son of the man who's kept her a prisoner for so long. Would she even get to see her daughter?”

“She's still a prisoner,” William said, looking off into the distance. “The King treats her well, but that might just be since I'm pretty sure anything else would be that last straw for a rebellion. But I'm pretty sure she's not being asked her opinion about this.”

Mizar looked into the distance as well now. “Poor woman...” she whispered. The two sat in silence for a minute before Mizar started, jumping up from the log. “Well, we'd better figure out how you got lost and get you on the right track,” she said briskly, clapping her hands once.

William looked up at her, startled and sad. “But we just met,” he protested.

“Yeah, but my dad doesn't like strangers on his land, and he'll know soon,” she said.

“Well what if I stand off his land?” William asked. “What if we both did?”

“Knowing Dad, he'll know if I leave,” Mizar said, pausing to look William up and down. The line of the edge of the valley glowed faintly to her eyes, and William was on the other side of it. She was still going to hear about this later, her dad was still going to be on edge for awhile, but the disaster that was her father coming to investigate was averted – for now.

“I need to go home,” she said finally.

“Come back tomorrow?” he asked, almost eager, and Mizar hesitated.

Did she dare?

“Not here,” she said, throwing caution to the winds. “There's a clearing half a mile from here. There's a waterfall in it, and crystals. There. Meet me there, but stay by the waterfall. Don't come any closer than the stream. I'll meet you there after midday.”

\---XXX---

_Background Music – Ever After – Utopia_

Mizar sat down her fork, looking at her father across the table. “Dad, why don't we ever leave the valley except for food?”

It wasn't the first time she had asked. Once it had been childish curiosity, another time teenage anger. This time, although it was motivated in part by the man she had met earlier in the day, she tried to sound more adult, to not sound like the bird beating its wings against the bars of a cage she sometimes felt trapped in, still a cage even if it was large and well loved and created from more of that love and there was a promise of someday having the door be opened.

Across the table, her father paused, one of his careless answers ready on his lips but halted as he looked at his daughter. “Soon,” he said, as Mizar had feared he would. “I'll be able to tell you everything, more than I've ever dared. And you'll understand then.”

“When is soon?” Mizar demanded. “You've said 'soon' ever since I turned sixteen. And it was 'When you're older' up until then. When are you going to tell me? Ever?”

“Soon is sooner than you think, farther away than you want it to be, and closer than I'm ready for,” her father answered.

Mizar subsided with a pout. Her father never answered anything when he started talking like that, and experience said trying to get a straight answer out of him in that mood would just end in a headache.

\---XXX---

_Song – What More Is Out There_

That evening, after the chores were finished, after the reading was done, after her father was in bed – though sometimes Mizar doubted he slept much, if at all – Mizar slipped out of the house.

She didn't go far. Her father would worry if she weren't in her bed soon. There would be no punishment, no recrimination, just the look of worry she had come to hate putting onto his face. So she'd go to bed soon, she just needed a little time out of the cottage first.

But for now, she stared up into the skies and wondered when. When she would leave the valley, when she would find love, when her life would begin.

When would she be able to come back with a story of her own?

Mizar began to wander through the woods, her fingers brushing over plants and trees as she passed them, hopping on stones across a small stream. “I've walked through all these woods before. I know every rock and stream and grove, oh-whoa-oh. There's nothing in this valley I don't know...but there's a whole wide world out there, I want to see it for myself.” Mizar paused, looking up at the sky. “I think that means it's time for me to go.”

She looked out toward the horizon, leaning against a tree, her arms wrapped around herself as if for warmth, though she wasn't chilled by the warm summer evening. “I know there's more that's out there, and I just haven't found it yet. I know there's more that's out there, another me I haven't met.”

Mizar continued to sing as she traveled along the edge of the valley, keeping within her father's borders but looking out over them at the world beyond, and fist over her heart. “There's something left still missing, something that I need. I know there's more that's out there...maybe folks that need my help.”

She jumped lightly atop a bolder, her hair flowing in the wind and arms spread wide as if she'd catch the wind and fly away on it. “There's another world to explore – I hear it calling out my name. Am I wrong for wanting more? I know there's more that's out there, something to fill this hole inside. I know there's more that's out there, and I'm not afraid to try.”

Turning, Mizar looked back over her valley. “There's only so much my home can offer, and I'm not saying that it's wrong. But I know there's more that's out there 'cause I've been searching all along.”

“This is my home, and here I'm safe,” Mizar sang, hopping down off the rock to wander again among the trees. She leaned against one after a few lines, looking up at the stars. “Yet somehow I still feel out of place. And I know there's more that's out there, 'cause I've been searching all along. 'Cause I know there's more that's out there, another place, another way. And I know there's more that's out there, And I'll find out someday! I'll find out someday...”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background music, [Instrumental – Kim Robertson Morning Dew; Instrumental – Romeo & Juliet – Did my Heart Love Til Now; Instrumental – Alcor alone – Painful Memories – Rurouni Kenshin OST; Instrumental – Enter Ratigan, Great Mouse Detective OST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UTW4eKqbBM&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=11)

_Instrumental – Kim Robertson Morning Dew_

“Woodsman!” Mizar called as she burst into a small clearing, where a stream bubbled over bright rocks, shallow and cheerful, where flowers bloomed in abundance, ringed by tall, sturdy oaks. She was dressed again in her tunic and trousers, knife at her belt and ring on her hand. Behind her, Waddles grunted, nosing at the flowers as he waddled after her, a bright ribbon tied cheerfully around his neck. “I made it!”

She paused in the center of the clearing, looking about. “Where are you? Come on, I know you never leave the woods, and I know you know I'm here! Stop teasing!”

A tree at the edge of the clearing blurred. From its bark stepped a young man, a young man who appeared around Mizar's age. Antlers of wood curled from his curly red hair, and an ax hung at his belt. Ribbons trailed from his antlers, ribbons of every color and size and texture, all of them Mizar's doing.

The sleeves of his rumpled tunic were rolled up over his elbows, and the deeply tanned skin underneath showed hints of green as he moved in the sunlight, laughing and dodging Mizar. 'Woodsman' was the only name he had ever given Mizar, despite how long they had known each other, and so Woodsman was the name she called him.

“I thought I'd taught you to know when someone was near,” he teased, and in his voice was the wind through the trees, the creaking of strong young wood, the wild and the free.

“I don't see why you and dad always harp on that stuff,” Mizar said, her voice filled with the irritation and frustration of an almost eighteen year old who had heard “I'll tell you when you're older” for all of her life. Her father may have always kept his promises, but this one didn't have an end date to wait for, and she was old enough by now, surely? Waddles nosed at her sleeve and she absently stroked her pet, brushing long strands of chestnut hair from her face. “This valley is safe. There's probably no place safer in the world. So why do I need to learn all of this stuff?”

Woodsman looked away, unable to meet her eyes, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree, whose branches bent as if to embrace him. “I believe everyone I care about should know to defend themselves. For the rest, you should ask your father,” he said. “You're almost eighteen. He...I believe he always meant to tell you when you got to that age. He has to. He's probably just scared.”

Mizar scoffed. “Dad's never scared of anything,” she said with all the assurance of someone who had yet to lose the faith that their parents know everything.

Woodsman shrugged. “Ask him tonight, then,” he suggested, solid as the trees that surrounded them. “I can tell you nothing I don't know for sure.”

“You know more than you let on,” Mizar accused. “But it's okay. I trust you. And I trust dad. I just wish I could meet someone new, you know? I want friends.”

Waddles snorted indignantly, and both human and spirit laughed. “Of course, I have you, Waddles,” she said indulgently. Waddles snorted again, satisfied, and settled again.

“I don't think I know as much as you think I do,” Woodsman said. “But your dad should. Ask him tonight. Maybe he's got a reason for why he's kept you so close.”

“Besides being overprotective and scared of the Ciphers? I've seen how he closes off whenever they get brought up,” she said defensively when Woodsman raised his head, looking at her in alarm. “He always looks really sad whenever the old king and queen get brought up, too. And the missing princess. Almost like he knew them.” She kicked at a tuft of grass. “It's not like somebody's gonna come here looking for her. Alcor took her and hid her away somewhere, probably wherever he lives.”

Mizar dropped onto a log and leaned back, letting the sunlight fall over her face. “Besides, I asked him last night,” she said. “He got all cryptic on me again. 'Soon, not soon enough for you but too soon for me',” she said, mimicking her father.

“Your birthday is in two weeks,” Woodsman pointed out. “That fits.”

Mizar gave a little hum, considering. Then she stood, brushing herself off. “I have some things to take care of,” she said. “They might take the rest of the day. I wanted to see you first.”

They waved, and Mizar took off into the forest.

\---XXX---

_Romeo and Juliet – Did My Heart Love Til Now_

William was waiting in the clearing where Mizar had asked him to meet her, carefully on the side she had said to stay on, fussing with something that he slipped away as Mizar approached.

He was all smiles as she entered the clearing, the concentration that had been creasing his face gone. Mizar decided not to ask, instead settling down on the grass on her side of the meadow, gesturing for William to do the same.

They spoke for hours, the topics ranging from childhood anecdotes to current politics, and despite her father's warnings Mizar found herself wishing for more, with an agreement to meet again the day after tomorrow.

\---XXX---

Mizar and William kept meeting as her birthday crept closer, keeping it a secret.

There wasn't much they could do, not with each of them needing to stay on their own side of the invisible border.

But they could talk, and talk they did.

Mizar was starving for news of the world outside her valley. And William seemed equally hungry to learn about her life in this valley, about the borders surrounding it, about her father. Many questions about her father, sprinkled among the rest of the questions.

He commented on her father's protectiveness, on his refusal to use any magic but the magic of the wards surrounding them, on how horses seemed so nervous around him.

William had been raised by his father alone, too, he admitted to Mizar. His father had had help, as he was usually busy, but he always took time out to check on William. Wasn't it so interesting, how alike yet different their fathers were?

Oh, but his mother died a few years after he was born, what about hers? She was adopted? How interesting. Did she know she was of an age with the missing princess? No reason, just an interesting little fact that had popped into his head.

She hadn't thought of it before? He'd heard so many girls wishing and dreaming about being the lost princess. It was odd, really, since whoever she was, wherever she was, she would have to deal with the fact that King Cipher had an heir ready and he wasn't going to give up on the throne easily.

The heir? That was Prince Cesar, seemed a decent enough sort. Hard to tell, really, he only showed up on public appearances. Who really knew what a prince or princess was like?

\---XXX---

The dawn of Mizar's eighteenth birthday dawned bright and clear. There was a special breakfast laid out, a day free of chores ahead of her, and Mizar rushed through breakfast and out into the sunlight with her father's laughter trailing after her, not noticing the pain that laced it, the way he looked after her once she had left as if he would never see her again.

\--XXX---

William was waiting – he had agreed to the early meeting, and Mizar knew she'd be leaving him earlier than he was planning.

She may have been crushing on him, pretty badly, but she'd promised Woodsman before that they'd spend part of every birthday together, and she wanted to see him.

Strangely, she wanted to see him even more than she did William.

William was looking strangely serious, a fact Mizar called him out on almost immediately.

He made an effort to brighten. “Since it's your birthday...” he began.

“You brought me a present?” Mizar teased hopefully. “I like presents.”

“Well, I suppose you could call it a present,” William said thoughtfully. “I never told you why I came here. But I was looking for Alcor. And thanks to the way you talk about your father, I think I've found him.”

\---XXX---

_Rurouni Kenshin – Painful Memories_

Alcor ran his cloth over the table one less time before moving over to the window, wringing it out as he went. A snap of his fingers would have cleaned the entire home from top to bottom in an instant, but he had gone this long without, a few more weeks wouldn't kill him.

Even if at times it felt like it would.

But demonic magic was unique, and King Cipher would have been watching for it all of these eighteen years, waiting for Alcor to slip up and let his magicians know where he was – and more importantly, where the princess was.

As much as it hurt his demonic pride, Mizar was the important one here. It didn't matter if they found him, he would get away.

Mizar needed him. And if that meant no magic, then no magic it was.

But even after eighteen years, and with the end in sight, it was hard. Harder than he had ever dreamed possible.

And even the thought of being again able to wield magic at will was little compensation for knowing soon, Mizar would no longer be his. For all her mother had given her to him, it had been to raise, and she would be adult enough soon to fight for her throne.

And what would become of them then, should she win? The queen and the demon who had raised her. What kingdom would want to trade with them, what rulers want him as their child's in-law?

He shook his head firmly. No use in worrying over such things while Mizar was still here with him and the kingdom yet to be won.

The house was clean, and he paused. Should he check the boundaries again? There had been a disturbance along them yesterday, but he had felt Mizar deal with it.

Then again...Mizar was out there. She liked to walk the boundaries, reinforce them herself. It let her feel like she was doing something. She didn't need her dad hovering over her shoulder.

After a moment of staring out the window he took down his violin, staring at it before lifting the instrument into position and drawing the bow across the strings, giving voice to his complicated emotions.

\---XXX---

_Background Music – Instrumental – Alcor Reveals the Truth – Great Mouse Detective OST – Enter Ratigan_

Mizar's dad was sitting by the fire when she returned to the cottage, Waddles trotting obediently at her heels.

He was staring into the fire despondently, as if the answers to his every question was contained within the flames or buried in the embers. His fiddle, which so often had brightened their evenings and whose music Mizar would always associate with her father, lay idle on his lap, as if he had been playing it before becoming lost to his thoughts.

Mizar paused in the doorway, watching him. If William was right, then...he might not really be her father. She could be looking at a demon in human form right now, one who had hidden a princess away somewhere.

Who had lied to her her entire life.

Unbidden, memories surfaced. Memories of all the times her father had loved her, had treated her as a true daughter. Times he'd been there for her, kissed her hurts and taught her and been a solid presence in her life, his love for her an anchor against everything that might happen.

William claimed it was all an act, a lie, but how could a lifetime of constant love be a lie? No matter who he was...surely that part wasn't a lie.

She'd never thought to ask who he was. He was...he was her dad. Parents didn't become anything else until their children were grown.

Her father spoke, not looking up from the fire. “We need to talk. It's time to finally have that conversation you've been asking for.”

Mizar started a little. She had expected to have to argue with her father to have this conversation, not have him start it.

He turned to face her, and the amount of pain in his eyes made her question what William had said again.

“You're eighteen today. I could keep protecting you, but you're technically an adult now. You've got choices you're going to have to make, and there's things you need to know before you can.”

“Protecting me?” Mizar asked, stepping into the house and letting the door shut behind her. Some of the things William had said began to make more sense as she asked, “From what?”

Her father smiled sadly and gestured for Mizar to take her chair on the other side of the fire. “Everything,” he said simply. He laughed, a quick, mirthless sound. “It's almost funny. I've had eighteen years to plan out this conversation, and I had, I wrote the whole thing down, but I lost my notes and I can't remember a thing I planned. And now I don't know how to say any of it.”

He scrubbed his hands across his face. Mizar knew her father well enough not to prod him to get to the point, but it was more difficult than ever before right now, when she wanted to beg him to get to the point.

“I...I've done my best to raise you right these eighteen years, and I love you. Even if you're not mine by blood, to me, you're still my daughter,” he started.

“Why haven't I ever met my birth parents? Why won't you talk about them?” Mizar asked, questions she had rarely asked before. Her father was her family, had always been the only parent she needed, but now, she wanted to know. She needed to know.

Her father stared into the fire for another tense moment before answering, “Your birth father was killed in the invasion. Your mother...she's the Queen.”

Mizar blinked at him dully for a few moments are his words sank in. The Queen. If her mother was the Queen, and her father dead, then William was right. She was...she...

“I'm the lost princess?” she whispered in disbelief. “I'm the lost princess?” she repeated, louder, standing abruptly as her father watched, face impassive but pain still shining in his eyes. “That's impossible! The lost princess was given to Alcor, he's raising her someplace safe, you're not Alcor! You're my dad! You...except for the boundary shields, you never do magic!”

Mizar was building up a good head of steam, arms in the air and on her way to full denial, when her father said her name, soft but serious.

She turned to him, her rant pausing and then frozen, stunned into silence as he closed the soft brown eyes she had known her entire life and opened golden eyes with black sclera, looking back at her with ageless pain in their depths. Nothing about him changed but his eyes, but no human had ever had eyes like those.

“You...you lied to me,” she said faintly.

“I couldn't find a good time to tell you!” her father – no, not her father, Alcor, the demon, argued back. “If I had, you'd have tried going off to rescue everyone before you were ready. And if I'd done magic they would have known where we were in a second!”

“You're...You're the Dreambender!” she yelled back. “You could have stopped them! Why didn't you? Why didn't you save them?”

He deflated before her eyes. “I couldn't,” he said.

“You wouldn't,” Mizar accused, her temper getting the better of her.

“I have never lied to you,” her father said, his voice rising to match Mizar's as kept hold of his own temper with difficulty. “I begged your mother to come with us, but she refused, three times over!”

“Why didn't you use magic? Go after her later, do something to make things better?” Mizar demanded.

“You were more important! I swore to your mother I would keep you safe, I would love you and raise you to be strong and able to take back your kingdom!” Alcor shot back. “You know what an oath means to me!”

“But you hid away here instead of doing anything?” Mizar asked, confused and angry. Her, the lost princess?

“If hiding here kept you and your mother safe, then I hid,” her father snapped. He set his fiddle aside, almost slamming it onto the table, harder than he ever treated the precious instrument as he rose and began to pace in short, angry movements. “I would do anything to keep you safe!”

“Anything but face Cipher and drive him out,” Mizar shot at him. “Why didn't you do anything? You could have hidden me and still driven him out! Why didn't you do something?”

“You have no idea what Cipher's capable of,” he father snapped. “He has your mother, I could hide you when you didn't know who you were but I can't hide her!”

“You're afraid!” Mizar snapped. “The great Dreambender is afraid, and won't try! Well, I'm going to, and no one's going to stop me!”

“If I had to, I could,” he shot back, and they both froze as the implications of that sank in.

If he wanted to, Alcor could hold her trapped in the valley the rest of her life. He could keep her hidden away, and there was nothing Mizar could do about it.

Alcor stumbled back, covering his mouth with his hands and shrinking into himself, as if doing so would pull the words back, make them unsaid. Shaking, fell back into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

And Mizar fled to her room, more frightened of and furious with her father than she'd ever imagined she could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would _not_ cooperate. Especially the argument. I was stuck on it for ages, and even now I'm not 100% happy with it. Still, here it be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _ [Music: Instrumental – Departure – Rurouni Kenshin; Song – Let Me Make You Proud – Tangled the Series; Instrumental – MLP FiM – An Old Mare's Tale; Song – Let The Monster Rise; Instrumental – ROTG OST – Jack Betrays](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUcZBcP8D0E&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=15) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the chapters where I made few/minimal changes to the song lyrics. Sorry, they fit too well as they were and I couldn't come up with new ones, though I tried. It came down to finishing the fic or leaving the lyrics.

_Instrumental – Departure – Rurouni Kenshin _

Mizar raced by moonlight through woods she'd known her entire life, blinded by her tears.

She dashed them away from her face roughly. She wasn't going to wait. Her mother had waited eighteen years already.

Her father...Alcor...what was he to her now? He was her father, she loved him, he lied to her, no, he'd never outright lied, but he hid who he was, he was a demon...he could have done this. But he wouldn't. So she would. She would do it alone if she had to. And she had to do it now, before he forgot himself and went through with that half-threat to keep her here until he felt she was ready.

Would he really? Maybe. Maybe not. How well did she know him, after all this?

Mizar skidded to halt, stopping short at the shadow blocking her way.

Woodsman stepped into the beam of moonlight, looking at her solemnly.

“The talk didn't go well?” he said simply.

Mizar scrubbed her arm across her face again. “I'm leaving,” she said. “I have things I have to take care of.”

“Where are we going, then?” Woodsman asked, falling into step beside Mizar.

“I have to. Not you,” she snapped. “You can't leave your forest.” He shrugged, ignoring her temper.

“We're friends,” he said. “I won't like it, but I can leave the forest. And if my friend's going into trouble, then so am I. I'm not letting you go it all alone.”

“Dad's not coming,” Mizar warned him. “I'm not sure what he's going to do.”

“Then he's not going to stop us. Less talking, more walking, tell me what's going on when we rest.”

\---XXX---

They crossed the border, leaving the valley. Mizar hesitated before taking that step, looking back across the valley that had been her home

She could see, in the distance, cradled in the heart of the valley and near hidden away from prying eyes, the cottage she shared with her father. Once she passed out of the valley it would be lost to view, hidden by the one magic Alcor had dared use to hide the lost princess.

Mizar took a deep breath and turned her back, taking that final step over the border and refusing to look back again.

They had only gotten a few feet when a figure stepped out of the bushes. Both Mizar and the Woodsman yelped, leaping back and ready to go on the offensive.

The figure raised their hands and stepped out of the bushes farther, and was revealed as William.

Mizar lowered her hands with a huff. “William! What are you doing out here at this time of night? We almost took you out!”

Woodsman watched them warily, slowly relaxing as Mizar rushed through the introductions, though he was still obviously suspicious of this person Mizar had been meeting behind her father's back.

“You were right,” Mizar said shortly. “I...Woodsman...” she sighed, rubbing at her face again. “You might want to sit down for this.”

\---XXX---

“That's...a lot to take in,” Woodsman said.

“You're sure your father doesn't know where Alcor is?” William pressed. “Just...gave him you, told him to take care of you, and disappeared?”

“It was safer for everyone if they were looking for Alcor while I was hidden,” Mizar said.

She couldn't say why, but some instinct said not to tell anyone about just who her father was yet. If it had been just Woodsman, maybe, but William...she had shared so much with him, he was her first love, why did she feel so wrong about telling him this?

“That does make sense,” William said. “Alcor would be easier to find, in theory, than a single baby.”

“What now?” Woodsman asked, going straight to the heart of the matter as he usually did. “I know you, you're thinking of taking back the kingdom. But there's just the three of us, and King Cipher has his armies and guards. Even if Alcor showed up to help, those aren't good odds.”

Mizar groaned and dropped down onto the log next to Woodsman. “I know that. I still don't get why Alcor can't do something about them. I'm working on a plan, okay?”

“I work at the castle, remember?” William said. “I can get us in there without anyone noticing.”

“Okay, that's a start to a plan,” Mizar said, standing up again, brief despair over. “It'll take us what, a couple days to get there? I can think of a plan on the way.” She brushed off her hands and picked up the small pack she had brought along, which she'd dropped when she sat on the log. “We're probably going to have to forage some, I left in a hurry. But we should get moving, it'll be light soon and I want to cover as much ground as possible.”

“And you didn't tell your dad you were leaving so you want as far away as possible before he finds out?” Woodsman guessed accurately.

Mizar blushed and started walking.

\---XXX---

_Song – Let Me Make You Proud (Tangled the Series) _

Mizar led the way out of the valley, climbing up the hills that ringed them in.

“Maybe I make things a mess, and maybe you're right to have doubts in me,” she sang as they crested the hill, and she paused to look back despite her resolution not to. “Maybe, but nevertheless, if you for once could just trust me, just this once let me come through for you the way that you want me to.”

Woodsman came up beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder. William mirrored him, and Mizar smiled brightly, running down the hill. “Let me make you proud, let me show you the best in me! Let me give you a reason to believe that I can stand tall,” she sang.

She reached a stream at the bottom and skipped across on the rocks that stood out from the water. “And when I return, and I'm more than you dreamt I'd be...maybe then you will realize that you never actually knew me at all.”

William joined her, adding his own verse. “Sure, I've made lots of mistakes,” he sang, as Woodsman watched them both, partially amused and partially concerned. “I know that I've disappointed you. Still, though, whatever it takes I'm gonna fix it, just watch me.”

“Just you wait, I'll make it up to you if it's the last thing I ever do,” Mizar caroled.

“I will make you proud, I will make you have faith in me! I will prove that the way I used to be is all in the past,” she and William sang together, linking hands and running ahead, startling birds into flight overhead.

“I will save the day, and come back here triumphantly,” Mizar sang, arms spread wide to the rising sun.

“'Cause I long for that look of surprise when you see your son rising at last, the pride in your eyes when you see your son rising at last,” William finished.

Woodsman came up between them, shaking his head and breaking the mood as he walked between them. The two laughed, slinging arms over shoulders and following.

\---XXX---

_Instrumental – MLP FiM – An Old Mare's Tale_

William was walking ahead of Mizar and Woodsman, leading the way. They still had a long way to go, but neither Mizar nor Woodsman had been out of the valley before so they were content to let William lead.

For now.

“Why didn't Dad want to fight?” Mizar asked Woodsman quietly, still subdued over the argument. “Why would he want me to get help? Isn't he enough? Why didn't he do anything and stop this in the first place?”

Woodsman glanced up at William, seemingly oblivious in front of them, and kept his voice low as he answered. “People don't like to talk about the day King Cipher took over. Didn't your dad ever say anything about it?”

“Is he still my dad...? And not really, he...he would just look really upset and change the subject. He'd end up wandering later or playing really sad music on the fiddle so I quit asking,” Mizar said, rubbing her arm.

“Of course he's still your dad,” Woodsman said stubbornly. When Mizar didn't respond, he sighed. “The little I heard said it happened really fast. That they had everything half conquered before anyone even knew anything was wrong. And...that somehow, King Cipher had bound demons.” He shrugged when Mizar's head whipped around to stare at him, stunned. “I know, binding just one is supposed to be so difficult you can only hope to keep the one obeying you for a little while before it turns on you, but I heard anywhere from five to ten different demons. Even Alcor would have trouble against one bound demon, let alone that many. Nobody knows what happened to them afterward, but a lot of bodies went missing and nobody really wanted to draw attention to themselves in case he still has them around.”

Mizar shivered and rubbed her arms. Her father had only once spoken of binding demons, of how a proper binding robbed a demon of all free will, trapped them within their body as a helpless passenger...the thought of her father like that made her ill.

She'd heard no one had ever bound Alcor, but if they could bind that many demons all at once...

Maybe she'd been too quick to be angry with her father, after all.

Maybe that was why he'd wanted her to have help.

Mizar paused, tilting her head back to look up at the sky as the wind teased her hair, and wished she wasn't a princess.

\---XXX---

_Song - Let The Monster Rise_

Back in the cottage, Alcor was awake, still in his human form, again seated in front of the fireplace, though no fire burned there now. He stared into the ashes, wishing they didn't feel so much like his life at the moment.

He didn't need sleep, although he had pretended to for the last eighteen years. So he had been awake when Mizar had left him. He had known when she left the house, though he hadn't stopped her. He had felt the moment she crossed the borders of the sanctuary he had made for them, leaving his protection and out on her own, vulnerable as she had never been before, leaving his heart aching, though the anger tried to drown it.

The argument from the night before rang through the air still. Alcor glanced up from the fireplace and Mizar shimmered into form in front of him, arms crossed and eyes furious and body transparent.

“Didn't I tell you not to go out?” he whispered. “Didn't I say the world was cruel?”

Mizar nodded, agreeing. “You did, you did.”

“Then tell me how this happened? What I did wrong? Tell me, why?”

“Didn't you say that you were different? Say you aren't that person. Tell me why? Every word you've told me is a lie!”

The illusary Mizar stepped closer, joined by her mother, both of them watching Alcor. “Didn't you say that you'd protect me? Didn't you?”

Alcor looked away. “I tried, I tried...” He stood, turning from their accusing eyes, and they dissolved away as he strode to the window, looking out over the valley he had created for the two of them, the sanctuary and prison he'd locked himself into for his daughter's safety, sightlessly. “Have I failed my daughter?” A spasm of pain crossed his face, and the fingers that gripped the windowsill grew claws, long and sharp, and his teeth sharpened to fangs, his feet leaving the floor as his wings appeared behind his back in a swirl of shadow, fully demon again for the first time in eighteen years. “Then let the father die, and let the monster rise!”

\---XXX---

_Instrumental – ROTG OST – Jack Betrays_

The trio stopped for the night, making a camp hidden from prying eyes among the trees which lowered their branches for Woodsman to hide them before William could see them move.

A few hours later, the trio sat around the merrily crackling fire, having made a meal from William's stores and the plants and berries Woodsman had collected.

William stood and stretched before gesturing to the bushes. “I'll be back in a few,” he said. “Why don't you two get some sleep and I'll take first watch? We've got a day and a half of travel left to us. I'm a bit surprised you were hidden so close, really. I know it's a small kingdom, but still.”

William headed into the bushes, leaving Mizar and Woodsman discussing that fact, how she had been only two and a half days of travel yet hidden so well.

He traveled farther in than necessary, pausing now and again to listen for the other two.

When he could no longer hear their voices, he dug into his bag and pulled out a mirror, a small compact of a thing, a few inches across at most.

William opened it and the glass flashed, glowing a milky white as he whispered an incantation.

He held the mirror up, close to his face, so that the person on the other end could only be heard by him.

“I've found her,” he said. “She claims not to know anything about Alcor, but she has a father. Yes, just a father. A valley, a few hours ride from Waeldestone. Yes, it's a real village, it's just so small no one bothers with it.” He paused, then, “If you wish, but I'm not convinced it's not the demon in disguise. The princess should be enough to draw him out.” Another pause. “Yes, I'm sure. There's a reason I was sent to find her, not some underling. She doesn't suspect a thing. I keep this up and she'll say yes without a problem. We'll be arriving day after tomorrow, make sure everything's ready. Can't imagine Alcor will let this go without a fight no matter how quiet he's been these last eighteen years.”

William waited again before cutting the other person off. “Just get it ready, I won't let this opportunity pass. We're only going to have one shot at this. The other plans aren't as secure as this one. That's why they're backup plans. Now get to work.”

He clicked the compact closed and turned to go back to the campsite.

Things were looking up.

For him, at least.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _ [Instrumental – The Piano Guys – The Hobbit; Song – Time to be Awesome – My Little Pony The Movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZNqs0YgWkM&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=22&t=0s) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song begins when Mizar shows Wendy her ring. Also, yes, I was going to change Wendy's name to something else, but let's say they leave it as a tribute.

_Instrumental – The Piano Guys – The Hobbit_

They could see the capital city from miles away the next day as they approached.

It was larger than anything Mizar had seen in her entire life, and for the first time, she began to wonder if she could do this.

That uncertainty only grew as they drew closer and began to make out the number of people around the city, could see the uniforms of King Cipher's army as they patrolled, taking the place of the City Watch.

Mizar made her way off the road, standing under a tree and watching the city from afar.

“I didn't realize it was so big,” she said as William and Woodsman joined her. “I really did rush into this. I don't have a plan. I thought things would just work out, the way they do in stories. The long lost princess returns, the kingdom rejoices, and all that. The middle bits got forgotten.”

“You don't give up this easy,” Woodsman said. “Never have. Why start now?” He gestured down to the city and all the people. “You've wanted to meet more people all your life. Now's your chance. Why don't we go into the city, see what's up? Meet people, see how they live, get at least a taste of it. Maybe you can think up a plan once you see if people are beaten down or if they might be willing to fight for the princess. Only, keep the fact that you are the missing princess quiet for a bit.”

William was quiet, looking down at the city. As if he'd suddenly come to a decision, he turned back to them, smiling. “I agree. I had wanted to go straight to the palace and begin there, but perhaps Woodsman is right. You do want to see the people, it may be a long time before you get another chance.”

Mizar took a deep breath and beamed at them both before hurrying back onto the road and towards the city.

The road into the city was broad and still well paved, and as they came closer to the city, statues began to dot the sides of the road.

Most of them weren't attractive statues – the people depicted were twisted with fear, many of them with arms raised as if to ward off a blow.

“They tried to fight against King Cipher,” William said easily as he noticed Woodsman and Mizar staring at them. “So he turned them into statues. There's more of them in the city itself. He likes doing it, saves on hiring sculptors and gives everyone a clear idea of what'll happen if they rebel against him.”

Mizar shuddered and turned her eyes from the statues. “There has to be some way to free them,” she said softly. “After this is over, I'll find a way.”

She paused outside the gates, bumping into several people who were entering on their own business, passing by the guards unnoticed.

Mizar stumbled back from the impact, bumping into a few more people before being caught by Woodsman, who was looking out of depth himself.

William looked more at home here than he had in the woods, so they followed his lead, sticking close as he lead the way into the city.

He paused in a square by a fountain, debating their next move, and turned to ask the other two. He had to pause and groan when he saw only one. “Where'd she go?” he asked, faint disgust coloring the words.

Woodsman set off after Mizar, now with William trailing behind.

\---XXX---

They found Mizar chatting with a pair of small children, androgynous in their dress and dirt.

“There you two are,” she chirped, standing upright.

“You're going to get us into dangerous parts of town,” William warned, frowning at the children. The smaller of the two stuck their tongue out at him.

Mizar wasn't looking too happy herself. “And if we followed you, we were going to go straight for the high end of town,” she said. “Where nobles live. Don't look at me like that, I could see what state the houses were in and how they were getting fancier the longer we followed you. People with power and money aren't going to risk it in a revolution, come on.”

William grabbed her arm, hissing and dragging her away from the children into a darkened corner, Woodsman following and ready to throw down if William hurt Mizar.

“You can't just say things like that!” William hissed. “About revolution! King Cipher has spies everywhere, you're going to get yourself caught. And you need an alias, we can't go around letting everyone know you've got the same name as the princess, they'll put the pieces together and you'll wind up in a tower in an instant. Ugh, why didn't your father think of that?”

Mizar crossed her arms and scowled, torn between her still flickering anger with her father and the instinctive wish to protect him. “It didn't matter in the valley, and he probably planned to be with me,” she said, angry and quiet.

“For all we know, King Cipher still has those bound demons,” William said. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Look, let's just...see what we can, all right?”

“I'm not going straight to the nobles,” Mizar said stubbornly. “If what you're saying is right, they'll probably turn me in as soon as they learn about me.”

“Ugh. Fine. But no trying to start a revolution until we learn more,” William demanded. “And keep it quiet!”

“Shouldn't you know what the mood is?” Woodsman asked mildly. “Given you work at the palace and all.”

“That's the palace,” William snapped. “The mood down on the streets can be something totally different and the palace would never know until they filled the streets wielding pitchforks.”

Mizar huffed and looked down the street. After a moment her eyes lit up and she was off again, dragging William and Woodsman behind her.

They were in and out of everything, then, in shops and cafes, libraries and parks – for, though the libraries were heavily censored now, the parks neglected and overrun save for what little the people who still loved them could do for them, pulling them down would cause more unrest than King Cipher wanted to deal with. The city could have been happier, could have been cleaner, was beaten down and ragged and on the edge of hopeless, but Mizar sparkled in it like a diamond.

And, despite William's warnings, she spoke to everyone.

He stood back, watching with veiled amusement as Mizar dragged Woodsman around. Woodsman was obviously uncomfortable, as this was a town full of people rather than his forest, but he was going along with it and trying.

A quiet voice spoke up from behind William. “Um, sir?”

William stiffened, shooting a look over to where Mizar was bantering with a stall owner, getting Woodsman involved and both princess and merchant teasing the mildly uncomfortable but willing Woodsman, making sure she was distracted, before grabbing the person speaking and dragging them into the alley at his back.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed, as the other person staggered. The other man, taller and more muscular than William, cowered at the question. “I said I would call when we were ready!”

“You were supposed to come straight back, people are starting to question,” the other man said, figiting in his armor.

“This is more important,” William said. “You go back and tell them I'll call when we're on our way.”

“This is? It looks like you're just wasting time,” the man said.

William sighed, rubbing his forehead, elbow in hand. “She's getting the people's approval,” he said. “A few more minutes and nearly all of them would be willing to swear loyalty.”

“But if they're loyal to her, then wouldn't they join a revolt?” the man said slowly, trying to pierce together William's logic.

William rolled his eyes. “I don't know why I bother,” he said. “They won't if we have her at the castle, just like with the old Queen,” he said, in the voice of someone who is sick of everyone around them being unable to keep up. “And after the wedding, loyalty to her means being loyal to the current royals and keeping quiet for her safety. Got it now?”

The man's eyes had lit up during the explanation, and he nodded like an eager puppy. “I got it now!”

“Good, now get back to the palace before those two notice I'm missing,” William hissed. “Make sure everything's ready, and that everyone knows she brought a friend along with her. He'll be easy to subdue, but it's another wrench in the plans, and we can't afford that. Move!”

He shoved the man, who staggered away before beginning to rush towards the castle as ordered.

William let out another frustrated noise before turning and leaving the alley, a smile across his face as soon as the light hit it, no hint of his frustration or plotting to be found as he rejoined Mizar and Woodsman.

\---XXX---

_Song – Time to be Awesome – My Little Pony The Movie_

Night was falling in the city, and with King Cipher's neglect, this part of town was growing darker by the minute.

In the nobles' part of town, they could afford to have lighted streets, paid for by themselves as a status symbol (and for safety), but outside that section it was an unaffordable luxury, though the neglected lamps that dotted the streets said that it hadn't always been so.

William began to lead them through the streets towards the lights, but Mizar turned down another street and headed off, Woodsman giving a soft groan and following. William barely caught up with them, only alerted by Woodsman's groan.

“Mizar, you said you weren't going to run off like that!” William hissed as he caught up.

“Never promised that,” Mizar said lightly, taking William's hand. “I always keep my promises, but I didn't promise. And I'm not going to promise that.”

They kept walking until William spotted a building where light spilled out of the windows. He grinned, a sharp smile hidden by the darkness, and pulled on Mizar's hand to lead them all towards the building.

Inside, the room was brightly lit, but it only highlighted how run down it was inside. It looked like it had been well loved, once, but as if there just hadn't been the money for the upkeep, given it had been cleaned until the surfaces shone.

Inside, an air of hopelessness seemed to hang in the air, thick as smoke. It was a beaten down sort of despair, and only a few people glanced up as the trio stepped inside.

William went to the counter to see about food and lodging as Woodsman and Mizar made their cautious way to a table, eying everyone around them as they went.

Mizar was terrified – this wasn't like earlier; these people felt, if not openly hostile, then decidedly Not Pleased to have strangers in their pub – but it also strengthened her resolve. No one should have to live like this in her kingdom.

There was a scraping against the floor and a chair suddenly tugged out from the table across from Woodsman and Mizar, and a tall, red haired woman dropped down into the chair.

She leaned her elbows on the table, staring down first Mizar, then Woodsman.

“So,” she said. “We're doing what King Cipher wanted. We're being good little slaves.” She leaned forward, menacingly. “So what do his little spies want this time?”

“We're not spies!” Mizar protested hotly.

The redhead scoffed. “Yeah. Pull the other one, it's got bells on. Seriously, what do you want? We probably don't have it, but that's never stopped you before.”

“We don't work for Cipher,” Mizar hissed, acutely aware of the eyes on them though everyone in the tavern was pretending to be involved in their drinks. “We're here to get rid of Cipher!”

The redhead stared at them for a moment before she snorted a laugh. “Sure you are,” she said. “Yeah, good luck with that. We tried that and now look at us.”

Mizar looked over the the tavern again, taking notes, noticing things she hadn't before. The flag of Cipher was covering a different flag, peeking out under the edges, and there were chests tucked away where no one would notice.

There were weapons stacked on one, dusty and neglected, and an air of people who'd suffered a loss great enough to steal away the last of their hope.

“Who...are you?” she asked.

Something in the tone of her voice must have told the redhead that she was sincere, as she sighed and leaned on the table again.

“Well, we were rebels, once, but now we're nothing,” she said bitterly. “Cipher turned some of our best to stone, and left the statues in the town square. We were so close...but we're done, now.”

She stood up. “Fine, you can stay, but...whatever. It doesn't matter.”

She headed back over to her table, slumping over it and staring at her drink.

The tension lightened slowly, and the barmaid came over to offer drinks and food. “Who...?” Mizar asked, tilting her head towards the redhead.

“Wendy,” the barmaid said softly. “She led the rebellion. We were so close...she had the streets barricaded. The city was at a standstill. Cipher was hiding in his palace, and it was just a matter of time. But then he sent out the demons, and...in the end, it was surrender or watch us all be devoured. She tried to take all the blame for herself and spare us. It's why she's here, now – Cipher decided forcing her to live while the rest of the leaders were statues was better punishment.”

Mizar looked over at Wendy with more respect, before standing and marching over to her table.

“I get it, things didn't work before and people got hurt,” she said. “But I know there's a way to undo the statues, and I'm here now,” she said, holding out the ring her father had given her. “I'm the lost princess, and I'm here to take back the kingdom, not matter what it takes. Alcor hid me, and he taught me how to fight, and how to deal with demons and kings alike. So you have a choice to make.”

Wendy studied the ring before looking up at Mizar, something like hope in her eyes as Woodsman hid his face in his mug and William watched in utter bafflement. “I know the world can get you down – things don't work out quite the way that you thought. Feeling like all your best days are done, your fears and doubts are all you've got!”

Mizar strode across the room, towards the flag on the wall. “But there's a light, shining deep inside beneath those fears and doubts so just squash 'em. And let it shine for all the world to see that it is time – yeah, time to be awesome!”

She tore down Cipher's flag, revealing the rebel's flag still hanging behind it.

Wendy sighed, standing and walking across the room to stand in front of the flag, looking up at it wistfully. “You've no idea how hard it's been, staying quiet while they need our help.”

Mizar grabbed her hands. “Don't let him rob you of who you are – be awesome, it's all up to you!”

Wendy looked at Mizar, a moment of deep connection, before turning to look at her flag. “I feel the light, stirring deep inside – it's like a tale still yet to be told!” She turned to the rest of the tavern, all of them watching her as she stood tall, fist aloft and face alight, as though the spirit within had come to life again. “And now it's time to break the shackles free and start living like the brave and the bold!”

The proclamation was met with cheers, with chests being flung open and things pulled from them, and Wendy turned back to Mizar, who still held her hand. “We stand with you, Princess.”  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ _Song – Devil's Carnival - Trust Me; Woodsman is Lost – Metropolis – Foreboding; Sneaking through the castle/find the workroom – A Blackened Heart; Capture – Princess Kaguya – Despair; Prince Cesar's Reveal – Song – Prince Charmless_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrITE-JE2jY&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=39&t=0s)

_Song – Devil's Carnival - Trust Me_

The trio departed from the tavern, the morning sun streaming brightly over streets that had been so dark the night before. They were much better in the sunlight, but a shadow still hung over them, something beyond the dinginess of neglect, something that couldn't quite have a finger placed on it.

Mizar was cheerful this morning despite that, eating her breakfast and speaking with Wendy about their plans for the rebellion.

They agreed that they needed to move fast, but beyond that, it was a bit vague.

At the last, they agreed that Mizar wanted to see more of the city, to learn everything she could, and she would be back that evening to finalize the plans.

Woodsman returned as Mizar finished her breakfast and William finally emerged from his room. Woodsman was used to rising and sleeping with the sun, while William seemed to prefer lazing about, not staying up late but sleeping in anyway.

Which was fine under normal circumstances, but they were planning a revolution. Sleep was necessary but today so was getting up early and at least acting like the whole heart was in it.

The trio took to the streets again, Mizar as eager as yesterday. Woodsman trailed behind her, listening and absorbing all she said, excited because she was excited.

William kept looking up at the castle as if expecting something.

Neither Woodsman or Mizar noticed, too caught up in the day, in taking note of all the places that were worn down with neglect, with all the places that were dark that should have been light.

“I think...dad said something about this once,” Mizar said quietly as they paused on the edge of a square, looking into a space that should have been brightly lit, with the sun directly overhead, but was somehow still grey and depressing. “How all the magic in out kingdoms affects us, changes the very physical structure of the land, depending on who rules and the mood of the kingdom.”

Woodsman made a soft sound of agreement, the two of them turning to look at William as he caught up for them and slipped a hand into Mizar's.

“I found a way to sneak us into the castle,” he said. “It's a bit dangerous, but we could get more information that way.”

“When did you...” Woodsman began to ask, cut off by William. “I work at the palace, remember? I just had to think it over a bit and look over the castle. Come on, if we time it right we won't meet anyone.”

Woodsman frowned but followed as William tugged Mizar through the streets towards the castle.

The trio froze as a set of guards passed across the street in front of them, turning to go down an alley.

More guards waited at the other end, and William pulled Mizar in another direction.

The guards yelled, and Mizar looked back as they streamed out of the street, and William yanked her away.

Right as guards passed between her and Woodsman, who was lost in the crowd of people who fled the guards, catching all three of them up in the tide. Mizar lost sight of Woodsman in an instant, too many people to see, forced by the press and William's pull to go the opposite direction.

Between them, they ran until William was able to turn off into an alley, where they paused to catch their breath before William was off again.

Mizar slowed, her weight tugging against William's hand as she lagged, looking behind her. “We have to go back,” she said. “We can't...we have to find Woodsman.”

William dropped her hand, spinning to grab her shoulders. “We can't stop,” he said firmly, his fingers digging into her shoulders. “We're too close to the palace now. We can't stop, there's too much riding on this. You trust me, don't you?”

“I...” Mizar looked back again for Woodsman, biting her lip.

“Oh, Mizar,” William said, stroking her cheek. “You're a tough little starshine to love. So shiny and so bright, oh, I was blinded by your light,” he sang, an arm slipping around her waist. “Never tasted as sweet a poison as you have. You're a prize I could never refuse. You're a bad little love, and I'm yours.”

William twirled Mizar in a waltz down the alley as he sang, Mizar staring up at him wide eyed and enthralled as he did. “So trust me, trust me, darling dear. I'm so sincere, there's no need to tear. Trust me, trust me, honey, do. Just like I trust you.”

“Sweet, you're a hard game to catch,” he sang, spinning Mizar out. He let go of her hands and pinned her up against the wall, his hands catching her wrists up high, even with her shoulders. “You fight and you tease, oh, you're a wild little breeze.” He leaned in, as if to kiss Mizar, his lips never quite meeting hers. “Never tasted as sweet a poison as you have. You know you never can hide.”

William released one wrist to run a hand down Mizar's cheek. “You're a bad little love and you're mine.”

He released Mizar, taking her hand when she stumbled away from the wall, tugging and dancing down the alley. “So trust me, trust me, Darling dear. I'm so sincere, there's no need to fear.”

Closer and closer to the castle that waited for them, looming overhead, its once white walls now dark with shadows and malevolence. William tugged Mizar, up to and inside the waiting door. “Trust me, trust me, Darling, do . . .just like I trust you.”

\---XXX---

_Woodsman is Lost – Metropolis – Foreboding _

Woodsman looked up at the castle. It was huge, and in the center of town. How could he be lost?

He stood in the shadow of the building and looked behind him, mentally retracing his steps. Where did he lost Mizar and William again? There had been a crowd, but they were gone now, and in the chaos he hadn't managed to see where they were. Even if he had, well, so many of the buildings looked the same in this place to him.

This was ridiculous. Maybe he didn't leave his woods if he could help it, but this...he was aiming for the largest building in the city. Just aim for it and walk! How was he lost? How did he lose Mizar?

It didn't matter that he hadn't promised her father, her dad was still going to be furious if Mizar got herself in trouble and Woodsman let it happen. Woodsman would be furious with Woodsman if that happened, too.

Frowning, Woodsman dug into his pocket, pulling out a piece of chalk with a silent “Aha!”. Mizar was always dropping art supplies when she visited, and much like the ribbons on his antlers, she was the reason behind most of the things in his pockets.

Kneeling, Woodsman made a small mark on the bottom stone of the building he stood next to. He tucked the chalk back into his pocket and started walking towards the castle again, pausing at each intersection to mark a house, small and subtle.

\---XXX---

Woodsman stared at the base of the house, where his previous mark sat innocently, chalk still poised to draw a new mark.

Well. That answered that question. Somehow, he was getting turned around. And given that he'd kept his eyes on the castle the entire time, he doubted it was just because he wasn't used to cities.

Wouldn't it have been easier to just have some guards throw him out of the city or something?

In a city like this, with a king like King Cipher, surely no one would have given it a second thought.

As if he had conjured them up, guards appeared at the end of the street, and Woodsman looked at them in silent disapproval before standing and disappearing down the alley.

His long legs gave him an advantage over the guards, whose armor was made to impress more than function as he set off at a lope. It made him question how they had taken over the kingdom like that – maybe the frightening part was just for show after the kingdom was conquered? – but set it aside in favor of running.

Woodsman skidded to a halt as guards appeared at the other end of the road.

Well. This was going to suck.

\---XXX---

_Sneaking through the castle/find the workroom – A Blackened Heart; Capture – Princess Kaguya – Despair; Prince Cesar's Reveal – Song – Prince Charmless_

Mizar and William crept through the halls of the castle. Mizar would have rather gone down them boldly, reasoning that it was like bees – once you were in the hive, so long as you acted like you belonged, everyone pretty much left you alone.

William, however, insisted that they would be noticed, that the staff at the castle was down to bare bones and they would be recognized as outsiders and that they needed to sneak in.

And, since he lived here and Mizar didn't (yet), William was taking the lead.

Mizar tugged at William's sleeve, pulling the pair to the side of the hallway. “Which way is the Que – my mother?” she asked as quietly as she could. “If things go sour, someone needs to know so we can get her out of here.”

“Locked in the highest room of the tallest tower.” William said. “Where else? Some things are tradition for a reason.”

Mizar frowned, glancing upward. This would be so much easier with her father here...no, with Alcor here, and did he even want to help? No, she had to do this as much on her own as she could.

“Let's get moving,” she said. “How do we get to it?”

“We need more information before you can try a rescue mission,” William hissed, grabbing onto Mizar's arm. He sighed and rubbed his forehead when Mizar glared back, not backing down. “We'll make our way there, but we need more. Come on. We'll go this way.”

He led the way down the hallway, turning down corridor and taking corners, deeper and deeper into the castle.

The halls they took were a rabbit's warren of twists and turns, and Mizar wondered if they'd been so damp and miserable when her family had held the castle.

Maybe it was silly of her, maybe she was as silly as William had said, but if she had the time and money after taking back the kingdom, she was going to get this castle redone, and return it to its former glory, from before the Ciphers took charge.

Who knew, maybe having both city and castle restored would make people's spirits lift too. Or, if her father was right, she wouldn't have to do anything, and just getting rid of the Ciphers would be enough to fix everything.

William paused, inching open a door. “We're in the workrooms,” he whispered. “The dungeons are below. Try to ignore any noises you hear, there's nothing we can do for anyone down there. Right now.” The 'right now' sounded almost tacked on, as if he had only remembered at the last second that he cared to get them free.

Mizar was too distracted to notice.

They had come out into a large, circular room, with doors leading off from it. There was a large star enameled in the floor, and Mizar came up short as the rest of the furnishings registered, staring around herself as she tried to make sense of it.

There were thrones on a dais, a sort of viewing platform, on one side of the room. On the other was a tall, cylindrical cage, with a sieve hung over it.

“That's where they turn people into statues,” William whispered as he took her hand. “They lock them in the cage and pour the potion over them through the sieve. I've hear the potion itself works fast, but they draw out the rest of it to terrify people. They've taken it out to the courtyard to do public statues, too.”

“They're monsters,” Mizar breathed, staring at the hateful cage. “Is there a way we can we free the people they did that to, or will I have to find one?”

“I've heard there's another potion for that, but the Ciphers have never used it,” William said. “Someone with power might be able to do it, too.”

Mizar's mind flashed back to her father, back in their cottage, someone who theoretically would have the power, and she wondered if she'd ever speak to him again, a spike of pain flaring at the thought.

No, she would, someday, and she would make him proud, him and the mother she had yet to meet, if it were the last thing she did.

\---XXX---

William opened yet another door and they both inched inside a room, only for torches to flare, blinding them both.

They uncovered their eyes to find themselves facing a squad of guards, almost filling the room.

The two sets of people stared at each other in blank surprise for a few seconds that felt more like a small eternity before Mizar launched herself into action.

She didn't call on her bat – the quarters were too close for that. Still, she had taken two guards down before the rest had recovered.

Mizar punched and dodged, kicking out to take the legs out from under another guard. She spun to find William and froze.

He was standing with a guard on each side, but uncaptured, calm, watching her. Mizar called out his name, leaping forward to rush to his side, only to find her arms captured by the guards.

She fought back, more guards piling on, until Mizar was bound, chained and held by guards.

William remained unbound, standing at ease between two guards.

“William! William, run!” she cried, still straining against her guards.

William clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk, trailed by the guards. He let go long enough to stroke Mizar's cheek as he passed, tapping her once on the nose. She was stunned enough to no longer fight as the guards dragged her along behind William and the guards flanking him, more guards falling in behind her to box her in.

They emerged after traveling down corridor after corridor into a huge hall, one that was dark and hung with banners, war banners and tattered banners of conquered countries.

A dark carpet cut the hall in two, leading from the double doors at one end to the dais at the other, one overhung with the cloth of gold canopy of state under which sat a heavy, ornate throne.

And on that throne, half hidden in the shadows, sat a man with a crown, a man that could only be King Cipher.

William bowed once they were all in order in front of the throne, with Mizar still to dumbstruck to fight back yet.

“All worked perfectly, father,” he said as Mizar gaped. “And may I introduce my future bride, Princess Mizar?” He gestured to the frozen Mizar, who was processing this betrayal still.

“Father?” she finally said, quieter than usual. “But...William...”

“Prince Cesar William Cipher,” William – Prince Cesar – said with a smirk and a flowery bow, “And I would say you are at my service, rather than the other way around.”

“Let's hope the daughter proves more tractable than the mother,” King Cipher said. “And what of the demon?”

“I'm still convinced he was passing himself off as her father, and they quarreled before she left,” Cesar said, and a flame kindled inside Mizar's breast. She'd trusted him, why would...?

“It seems you do have this well under hand, this time,” King Cipher said, still sharp eyes traveling over Prince and Princess. “This wild scheme of yours may work out in the end after all. If nothing else, you've found her, and that's more than anyone else has managed. Go, finish your preparation, and guards, be sure the princess doesn't escape. We've only just begun to show her the Cipher hospitality, after all.”

With that, the king stood and grandly left the hall, leaving them alone save for the guards.

“Why...everyone thinks you're different from him!” Mizar burst. “You lied to me! What are you even doing?”

William chuckled, turning to face Mizar. “If you want the picture of a charming prince, I take the cake,” he sang, bowing gracefully and grinning widely at Mizar. “But now you find me all the more alarming since I'm charming as a rattlesnake.”

He reached out, tilting her head up with a finger to meet her hurt, frightened, furious eyes. His voice was filled with amused malice as he mocked her. “A romantic prince out of a fairytale, just like a dream. But now you are awake and your fairytale was nothing but a childish day dream.”

He turned to lead the way down the hallway, looking back over his shoulder at her. “You'll be grand for the plots I've planned, and my gratitude's profound and large. Now's the time for the world to know that I'm your Prince Charmless, and I'm in charge.”

As his song finished and he sang the last line, Cesar – not William any more, and Mizar understood more than ever that William had only ever been a mask – flung open the doors into another huge room, and Mizar heart sank past her shoes before rebounding to lodge in her throat.

Drawn out on the floor of that room was a circle, complex and blurry, and it couldn't be anything good.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ _Alcor Capture - Two Steps from Hell – Falling; Song - Let Me Make You Proud Reprise - Tangled; Despair spot - I've Got To Find A Way; Escape - The Last of her Kind - Peter Gundry; Plans move Forward - Ready as I'll Ever Be - Tangled_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AZTMopqja8&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=29&t=0s)
> 
> Translations of the Zalgo text are at the bottom.

_Two Steps from Hell – Falling; Song – Tangled - Let Me Make You Proud Reprise_

Alcor floated in the cottage in the valley, looking out over nothing, a small doll in his hands. His claws were tracing the embroidery of the doll's face, a sad, fond smile on his lips.

His eyes narrowed, ears twitching before his head went up like a questing hound's, ears pricking forward as shock passed over his face, settling into a snarl of rage.

In an instant he was gone and the doll fell to the floor with a soft pap, shockingly loud in the deathly silence.

\---XXX---

Alcor roared into existence, afire with fury at the taste of Mizar's blood, Mizar's fear.

A roar that changed to a cry of shock and pain as shackles and collar snapped around his wrists and ankles, waist and neck, dragging him to the ground as bars snapped into place around him, a birdcage of iron and magic.

Chained and on his knees, arms suspended in the air by the chains, it took a few harsh breaths before he could raise his head.

Mizar was screaming, tears pouring down her face, struggling against the hold of burly guards, and in front of him stood a man, smirking at the bound demon.

“P̶̲̤͌ṟ̷̹̑̚i̷̝̲̓͊n̶͈̄͘c̷̣̗̬̆ë̴̺͓̹́ ̴̣͈̋͐Č̴̱̣̿̾ė̴̜̚s̸͚͕̽̈́ḁ̸̧͍͒̂̍r̸̳͂̏̋,” Alcor snarled, and several guards paled at the static rumble of angry demon.

“Dreambender,” Cesar nearly purred. He leaned forward, reaching out as though he would touch Alcor's cheek, pausing and drawing his hand back quickly as Alcor bared his teeth. “You didn't tell me he looked like _this_,” Cesar said, looking over at Mizar for a moment before watching Alcor again with hooded eyes. “Oh, I guess you wouldn't think of it, him pretending to be your father and all. Mm, this just got much better.”

He stalked over to Mizar as Alcor fought the chains and they refused to yield. “I was only supposed to find you, but I suspected,” he said, “Where else to hide the princess? All thanks to you,” he added, tilting up the now quiet Mizar's chin, brushing aside the tears on her cheek with a cruelly gentle thumb. “I have not one, but two.”

He leaned closer, as if to kiss her. “Thank you, darling.”

Cesar let go and the guard dragged Mizar away, and her last view of her father was in the cage, on his knees, as Cesar swaggered back towards him triumphantly.

As she was led away, Mizar swore, quietly, on the edge of tears. “Don't worry, Dad. I'll get to the bottom of this, I promise. I will make you proud. Get the answers and set you free. Don't you worry, whatever it might take, I'm finding a way.”

The door to the tower cell closed behind her, and Mizar let her voice rise as she finished her vow.

“And I swear right now, that no matter what comes of me, anybody who stands or has stood in my path, they are going to pay! They...will..._pay.”_

\---XXX---

Woodsman stepped out of the alley. Behind him, the guards that had followed earlier yowled protests, muffled by the flowering vines that had them bound and gagged.

He looked up at the castle, up at the spiked turrets and dark parapets. He'd heard Alcor once, telling Mizar what the castle had looked like before the Ciphers took power. Not nearly so spiky, for one.

Was Mizar already in that labyrinth?

One way to find out, he just hoped he wasn't going to regret this. But there was no other way – he wasn't leaving unless she was safe.

Resolved, Woodsman set off for the castle, leaving a trail of flowers in his wake.

\---XXX---

_Song – MLP FiM – Find a Way_

Up in the tower room she had been taken to, Mizar strained against the chains locked around her wrists before sliding to the ground, panting with the effort.

She dragged herself over to the room's window, leaning against the sill and pressing against the glass to look outside.

Everything had seemed so bright this morning. She was going take back her family's throne, free her mother, prove to her father that she could do this.

And now...now she was trapped, and her father was in a cage, and the man she'd thought she could trust, maybe even have a fairytale romance with, had betrayed her and was working to enslave her father while she sat here, in chains.

She remembered her father's tales of what it meant to be a demon and enslaved, how it took away all control over your body and locked you inside, a puppet to their will, and the thought of her father like that...but he was her _dad_. He was _Alcor. _Could they really enslave him?

She hadn't really been able to picture her dad, her loving dork of an overprotective dad, as a demon. Not until he roared into existence in her defense, and now...

“I have to find a way, to make this all okay,” Mizar sang, leaning her head against the window pane. “Hard to believe that misplaced trust could now spell the end of us. Why, oh why?”

She could see it, in the window, as if it were a window into the room down below and not outside. Her father on his knees in that cage, chained and bound. “Losing promise – I don't know what to do.”

Cesar, the man she'd trusted, was at the table, mixing potions, and glanced over his shoulder at her father, smug and possessive.

And victorious.

Mizar buried her face in her arms and began to cry. “What am I going to do?”

\---XXX---

_Peter Gundry – Last of Her Kind_

Mizar didn't notice when the vines began to wrap around the edges of the window frame, too busy sobbing in despair.

She had no choice but to notice when they pulled the window out of its frame with sharp cracking of broken stone and wood.

The vines swarmed the window, growing so fast Mizar could hear them grow, making a soft rustling as they filled the room and grew over the door, thickest over the wooden door and the frame that surrounded it until they could no longer be seen through the mass of green.

And a larger vine rose in front of her window, with the Woodsman riding it. Mizar's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as he jumped in the window and bent to look at her chains.

She flushed at the look he gave her, broken out of her despair and able to think straight again. The cuffs sparked and smoked as she whispered the unlocking spell, but she continued, and eventually they gave up the ghost under the power she drew from her father, still could draw on despite his predicament downstairs.

Looping her arms around Woodsman's neck, Mizar swung out the window and down the beanstalk.

\---XXX---

Back in the spell room, Alcor glared at Cesar fiercely, eyes aglow with rage even as he was held in place by the chains, arms level with his shoulders and kneeling in the bird cage of silver and gold.

Cesar clucked his tongue as he looked over the brightly gleaming instruments on a table. “You should really learn how to take defeat with grace,” he scolded.

“N̵͚͍͙͇̥̫͜o̸̢̳̺̥̫͖̙͂ ̴͉̫̫̪̦̫̑̑̉̌̒̆̈́b̶͓͎̮̖͊̈́͋i̶̧̗͓̙̋̍̾̋͂͊n̶̢̺͚̜̙͚̦̊͐̔͒͒̕ḑ̸̧͇͙̙̀͐̔̈́i̵̯̭̊̈́̓̐̉ͅn̶̡̧̛̮͇̰̥̪̼̈́̀͛g̸̙̐͐̀͑̈́̕ ̶̯̠͔̫͕͎͌̓̅̋ẖ̶̛̘̼̈̈͊͐͐͝a̵͉̅̄̍̊͗̀̐͝ͅs̶̳͈̳̃͂̍̅̕͜ ̵̣̫̥̮̜͙̿̔͂̈́͆͑͝ͅe̶̡̡̟͍̤̟͈͊v̸̡̰̻͕̝̣̱̇̑̐̇̌͘ͅe̶̮͌̋͠r̴̡͖͇̟̳͔̜͋̊ ̶̡͈̹̰͇̤̰̻̾h̸̛̖̖̄e̸̢̢̯̐͋͐̒͛͆̚l̷͓̳̊͒̅̉̋̋̕͠ḍ̶̹̯̥̝̞͗̅ ̵̗̭̊m̸̲̩͕̠̘͕͇̂̂͌̏̈́̕̚ę̵̦̮̝̮̜͘ ̸̭̩͙̑̂͜l̵̡̡̻̾͜o̵̡̯͉͙̗̪͙͖͌n̸̨̛̖͔̣̦͊̾̏̀̅̚g̶̘͔̟͊,̵̜͎̃ ̷̛̻̫͎̝̳a̸͙̹̓͆̅͒̈́̌͋̓n̶̡͈͝d̴̲̼̻̺̮͇̮̮͆̚ ̴̛̘͍̻̃̀͜n̵̛͍͎̲͎̓̂̅̍̒̅e̶̡̡̎̐į̸̝͇͎̇͂̀͝ţ̸̮͍̼̓̓̃̌̂̋̾ḧ̵̪͈̲̘͉́̋̎̌̄ͅe̷̛͇̞̓̕r̵̮̝̻̃͒͋̉͝ ̷͕̫̦͙͎̦̻͂̚w̴͉̘̜̬̩̜͈͋̄ĩ̷͗̍̃̌ͅl̸̩̝͒͜͜l̸̡͖̹͈̖̰̦̇ ̷͓̙̝͖͐̈́̊͜ͅţ̸͛̋͐h̶̺͈̰̠̪̮͍͕̒̔͋̎ì̵̯͋͒̄͒̈́s̴̤̫͍͊͛̆̑,” Alcor growled back.

“Maybe so,” Cesar agreed, “But no one has used this binding.” He turned, a vial of something glowing in his hand. “And no one has held your daughter bound at the same time, either. Between the two, it'll last more than long enough.”

He sat the vial down on the bench and strode over to the cage, cupping Alcor's chin much as he had Mizar's earlier. “You've eluded us for too long, demon. With you, I shall surpass even my father.” He tilted Alcor's head, looking him over appraisingly. “So pretty. Who ever would have thought the Demon Prince would look like this?”

There was frantic knocking at the door, and Cesar growled, not letting go of the demon's chin, even though the demon himself was making worrying noises and those sharp teeth were so close to his hand. “What is it?” Cesar snapped.

“It's the princess!” came the reply through the think door, and Cesar dropped Alcor's chin to stride over to the door and fling it open.

“What about her?”

“She's gone!” the guard stammered. “The door, it was locked from the inside, and when we finally got in, she was gone!”

“But how...never mind. Get out! Get out there and find her, you idiot!” Cesar snapped. The guard threw a terrified salute and scrambled away, calling for his squadron.

Cesar stormed back over to the smirking demon. “Don't get cocky, demon,” he snarled, burying his hand in Alcor's hair and pulling his head back. “I'm not giving up either of my pretty new toys that easily. They'll bring her back. Or you will, once this ritual is complete.” He pulled Alcor's head back that much more. “Maybe that's the first mission I'll send you on. Seems fitting, doesn't it?”

With that, he let go of Alcor's hair and stormed back over to the table. “I deserve all of this, and your petty little resistance has gone on far too long. I know what's best, and soon, you'll all see I was right all along.”

\---XXX---

_Song – Tangled – Ready As I'll Ever Be_

Mizar burst into the tavern, shocking everyone into stillness.

“You were right,” she cried to the startled Wendy. “It's not over yet, but I was too trusting.”

Wendy's eyes hardened as she looked over Mizar and Woodsman. “That William boy, he's betrayed us?”

“He was Prince Cesar in disguise,” Mizar said, furious with herself, with Cesar. “We have to move fast. He's caught Dad.”

Whispers started around the room as Wendy took a step back. “No offense, but if he's got Alcor bound, we don't stand a chance,” she said bleakly.

“He doesn't yet,” Mizar said, looking up into Wendy's eyes. “If you need to run, then run. But I'm going back to save him. I came to warn you, before more can happen. He's not bound yet, and no binding is going to hold him for long. But he's my father, and I'm going to save him before that happens.”

Wendy frowned, and everyone waited to see what she'd choose. “If we've still time, then we need to move fast,” she said. She turned to look at the rest of the tavern. “Time's up, everyone. Get ready to move.”

She and Mizar shared a nod, and Mizar hurried back out the door at a run. Woodsman waited a moment before looking to Wendy. “I have a small favor to ask,” he said softly.

\---XXX---

Cesar finished the last circle and walked back to the table, tossing the piece of chalk onto it before bracing his hands on its surface. “Any moment now, and it'll all be over, demon,” he said over his shoulder to Alcor, still kneeling and chained on the ground, no longer fighting the chains but silently still, his head hanging and face hidden by his hair.

“Believe me, I know – I've sunk pretty low. But whatever I've done you deserved,” Cesar sang.

Alcor raised his head, saying, “C̴̛̖ê̴̟s̵̗͋a̷͈͂r̵͍̓...” only to be cut off as Cesar snapped, “Quiet!”

Alcor went quiet out of shock, and Cesar continued, “If I'm the bad guy, that's fine. It's no fault of mine, and some justice at last will be served.”

Alcor tried again, saying, “L̷͍̪̯̈͂̈́į̷̳̩̰̩̑͒̃̑͘s̸̥̣͈̭͚̾̇͠ẗ̵̢͈̪̤́͋e̶̡̱̲̥̎̏̿̓ͅṇ̴̺̮̗̮̃ ̴̤̲̦͇̎t̸̮̣o̶̗̪̺̼͐ ̵͇͈͋̏̅͝͝m̶̗̗͙͗̈́̀̚e̷̙͎̯̿̌͐͠!” but was ignored.

Cesar picked up a crystal, that began to glow, and began setting them up at key points around the cage as Alcor winced away from them. “Now it's time to step up, or it's time to back down, and there's only one answer for me. And I'll stand up and fight 'cause I know that I'm right.”

He paused, looking out the window at the sky beyond, which was just starting to lighten with the dawn. “And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready. Ready as I'll ever be.”

\---XXX---

At the tavern, there was a buzz of action. People were sharpening weapons, tightening armor, all of them glancing out the window at the slowly glowing sky.

In the back room, Wendy sat staring at a candle, fingers laced under his chin. Suddenly she nodded sharply and stood, picking up her ax, the candle snuffing out from the speed of her movement.

She slammed open the door to the main room, and all eyes turned to her as she strode through the middle of the room.

Holding up her ax, she sang, “Now it's time to rise up or it's time to stand down – and the answer is easy to see!” She gestured to the people around her as she continued, thrusting her ax in the air for emphasis, “And I swear by my ax, if you're in, time to act! Are you ready?”

And from around the room came the responses.

“I'm ready!”

“We're ready!”

“We're ready!”

And Wendy, striding towards the door, finished the call. “Ready as I'll ever be!”

\---XXX---

Mizar stood next to a tree on a hill just outside the walls, close to the palace, staring at it as if that alone would free her father, waiting for Woodsman to catch up.

A soft noise made her turn, and she sagged in relief. “There you are!” she said as Woodsman stepped closer.

“I had to ask Wendy for a favor. I used to be pretty handy with one of these,” he said, holding up the ax he'd been loaned. “Do you have your bat?”

Mizar smiled sadly and hefted the bat her father had given her. “Time to prove he taught me well enough.”

Woodsman smiled at that, an expression coated in worry. “Are you quite sure we can do this?” he sang.

“Together we will, guarantee,” Mizar replied in song. Arm in arm, they started for the palace and the fight. “I'm ready as I'll ever be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations of the Zalgo Text:  
"Prince Cesar"  
"No binding has ever held me long, and neither will this."  
"Cesar..."  
"Listen to me!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ _Brave OST – We've Both Changed; Elena & The Secret of Avalor – My Time (Reprise); Two Steps From Hell – Heart of Courage_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1AEs77Jl4&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=33&t=0s)

Alcor slumped in the chains still binding him, panting. No matter how much he fought, they refused to give way. With a snarl, he tried again, struggling and straining, before collapsing once again, supported only by the chains.

He'd failed. He'd failed them all with his stubbornness and pride, with his fears.

And now...the Queen, the kingdom...Mizar...

Tears gathered in his eyes, golden tears he was too stubborn yet to let fall and let Cesar see staining his cheeks when the usurper prince returned.

“Dad!”

Certain he was hearing things, Alcor didn't look up. Then hands touched his face, not Cesar's hands, warm hands he knew and loved.

“Daddy, please wake up!”

Alcor's eyes flew open with a gasp, and the tears he'd been holding back fell, streaming down his cheeks as he gaped at Mizar.

“Mizar! Baby, you gotta get out of here!” Alcor gasped. “It's too dangerous here!”

“Not without you,” Mizar said firmly. She reached for one of the hateful chains binding him, grabbing it, and pulled back with a soft cry as the metal glowed under her hand, too hot to hold. It cooled the instant she let go, back to the seemingly normal chain of before.

She grasped the bars instead, feeling hopelessness well in her heart.

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered. “I wasn't ready. You always will be my father.”

“I'm sorry,” he whispered back. “I should have trusted you. I should have told you before. I love you, baby.””

“Oh, how sweet,” Cesar's mocking voice declared from the doorway, and Mizar spun, rising to her feet to put herself between prince and father.

Cesar stood in the doorway, an amulet around his throat of a teardrop shaped green stone and a vial of something black and fluid in his hand that beat against the glass like something alive.

“Let him go, Cesar,” she snarled.

“Hm, let me think...no,” Cesar said with a smirk. “In fact, you're just in time, dear. Would you like to see what my little circles can do?” He dropped the vial he was carrying, and the lights in the floor lit up, blinding them all for a brief moment before turning dark and freezing before rushing Alcor and the cage.

Behind Mizar, Alcor screamed, a sound filled with pain and despair, and she twisted to run to him.

He went rigid inside the chains as the black light slid over him like water, jerking and fighting, before going limp, limp as if he were unconscious or worse.

“...Dad?” Mizar said weakly, reaching for him. “Daddy?”

“Daddy's not home,” Cesar said smugly as Alcor's head raised, his eyes completely golden and his face expressionless.

The chains fell from his body and he rose bonelessly to float in midair, hands by his side and motionless. The cage disappeared as swiftly and soundlessly as it had first appeared, and Alcor hung there, limp and unresponsive.

“Dad?” Mizar said again, to no response.

“Alcor, bring Mizar to me,” Cesar said, his grin famished and victorious.

Alcor lunged for Mizar, who yelped and dodged. He was fast, so much faster now than he'd been as a human...and yet, as they continued to fight across the room, there was something off about his motions, something jerky and reluctant.

And Mizar realized, though Cesar (who had never seen the graceful way her father moved when he was in his right mind, the way he fought as if he were dancing) had not, that her father was still fighting the binding, fighting the orders that would have him harm his daughter, still his beloved daughter despite everything.

Alcor lunged for her a second time and she dodged, feeling the air from his claws as he missed, landing on all fours and skidding along the floor.

Across the room, Cesar laughed, gloating, enjoying the pain he was causing. “You see?” he gloated. “Ciphers specialize in binding. Not even the Dreambender can stand against us, and soon enough, the world will bow to us or be destroyed. You should have joined us willingly when you had the chance, Princess!”

There was nothing there of the person Mizar had known, had thought she might even someday marry, when this was all over.

“Alcor, stop playing around and get her, bring her to me,” Cesar snapped, a hand clutching the amulet around his throat. It glowed sickly green, and Alcor curled up in pain.

Mizar took the chance and threw herself at her father.

“Come on dad, you can fight this,” she whispered into his ear, holding him tight as he struggled. “You're stronger than this! I get it now, I get why you were scared, but you can do this!”

In her arms, Alcor snarled, the most inhuman sound Mizar had ever heard him make. She held him down even as he attempted to rise, to drag them both over to where Cesar waited in cruel anticipation.

Mizar buried her face in her father's shoulder, where she'd hidden from the world a dozen times over, and her tears soaked into his shirt.

“Please, daddy. Come back to me. I love you. Daddy, please,” she sobbed.

The snarling in Mizar's ear intensified, the body under her hand spasming with racking shudders.

The shudders stopped as abruptly as they had begun, and her father was still.

Across the room, light flared from between Cesar's fingers, and he let go of the amulet with a cry of pain. Cracks razed its surface, the sickly green drowned by golden light and pulsing before exploding into shards.

And a clawed hand came up to rest on Mizar's hair.

Her crying faltered and she pulled back in surprise, and her father smiled down at her, exhausted but free.

Mizar teared up again, flinging her arms around her father, who returned it. His arms felt weak around her, weak and exhausted but warm and real.

Cesar cast aside the broken amulet, and its chain clashed loudly as it hit the ground.

“So. You got free of that binding. It doesn't matter. You're weak, now. The next will take,” Cesar snarled. “And I'll make sure you don't see your father again until I'm sure there's no way you can free him, my wife-to-be!”

Mizar clutched at her father for a brief moment before standing, slipping out of his arms.

“Mizar...” he whispered, kneeling and looking up at her desperately.

“It's going to be okay, Dad. It's my turn to protect you,” she said, standing tall and proud. She looked over at Woodsman, who was crouched near them. “Keep them away from my dad,” she said.

Woodsman met her eyes and nodded, slow and firm, before shifting, inching to Alcor's side and holding him up as he faltered.

Her hand closed around the ring on her hand, the ring she'd never taken off, the ring she'd never told Cesar about, and summoned her bat to her hand.

Mizar raised the bat, pointing it at the stunned Cesar. “You are never going to hurt anyone ever again,” she vowed.

Cesar's snarl turned to a smirk as he reached behind him, pulling a sword from the table. “I should call the guards,” he said, holding up the blade, “but domestic affairs should be kept private, don't you think?”

He began to lunge at Mizar, only to pause, all of them going still as sound filtered down from above.

“What is that noise?” Cesar snarled.

A smile slowly grew across Mizar's face as she tilted her head, listening to the singing that was filtering down to them. “They're coming,” she said.

“Mizar, who...?” Alcor asked weakly, looking at the ceiling and beyond.

“Everyone.”

\---XXX---

Above, in the streets, the small crowd from the tavern had swelled as they marched through the streets.

People stopped what they were doing as they passed, and the word passed through the streets ahead and around them, whispering along the breeze. _“The Princess has come home. The Princess is here to take back her throne, and she needs us all!”_

Aloud, together, they sang, voices ringing through the streets. “This is our time, our time to face our old foe. Our time, reclaim what was ours long ago. Our time, to stand up with honor and pride! Our time, we've come too far to be denied!”

And the people who had stopped to listen heeded the call, lying down their work, coming out of their homes and businesses to join the march to the palace.

The reached the gates, and the guards hesitated in the face of so many people, none of whom cowered or backed down when the guards raised their weapons, raising their own in response.

The guards stood their ground, looking at one another uneasily, until the first took a step back. Then it was a general retreat, and the doors to the palace were thrown open as they hadn't been since King Cipher took charge.

“This is our time, together as one we won't fail! Our time, this time we know we'll prevail!”

They crowded the courtyard, forcing open the doors. King Cipher stood at the head of the stairs, staring them down as they flowed inside.

“Our time, to honor our families and friends! Our time, this is our time! This is our time, once again !”

\---XXX---

In the dungeon below, Mizar lunged at Cesar. Her bat screamed as it flew through the air, blocked at the last second by his sword.

“So what if everyone's here?” Cesar snarled, going on the attack, forcing Mizar to back away. “It won't take long to bring Alcor to heel with how weak he is now, they'll settle quickly enough once you're both back on your leash!”

He swung, nearly tripping Mizar. “Those who don't can be statues,” he gloated as she regained her feet, head down and hair covering her face. “My father and I know how to handle petty little rebellions!”

Cesar crouched, ever so slightly. “And I'm going to make sure your parents pay for this one of yours.”

And once again, Mizar lunged.

This time there was no holding back. No sentiment, no refinement, Mizar fought as she'd been taught.

As her demon of a father had taught her to fight.

Seconds later Cesar's sword went flying, spinning through the air and catching the light as it arched across the room, embedding itself in the table.

He stumbled backwards, suddenly pale, as Mizar advanced on him. His hand shot into a pocket, and came out holding a small vial.

“Perhaps you'll be more cooperative after a few weeks spent in stone!” Cesar snarled, and Mizar's eyes went wide as he raised the vial.

\---XXX---

King Cipher stared down at the mass of people down below, who still weren't rioting or screaming, though it could very well have been just a matter of time.

His guards filled the edges of the room, filing in at a double time march, their weapons clashing with a thunderous clatter as they were presented, held at the ready.

A whispered word brought the still bound demons to hover overhead. The crowd murmured uneasily – they had obviously through the bindings long gone and the demons fled. All the more reason to renew the bindings periodically.

Now if only his son would stop gloating downstairs and bring Alcor to heel already...

“I am giving all of you two minutes to leave my palace and disperse,” King Cipher announced. “I expect you to accept this act of mercy before my patience runs out and I set demon and guard alike upon you. Am I clear?”

\---XXX---

Down in the dungeon workroom, Mizar's bat came down on Cesar's arm in a flash, too fast to follow, and the vial went flying as he staggered back. “That's for lying to me!”

Another swing, and Cesar yelped in pain, staggering back against the wall. “That's for breaking my heart!”

Woodsman flung himself forward, sliding across the floor, catching the vial just before it hit the ground. “Mizar!” he called, flinging the vial towards her.

Four sets of eyes tracked the vial as it arched through the air to Mizar. Her bat connected, shattering the glass and sending it and its contents over Cesar. “And that's for hurting my family!”

Cesar had time for a single scream of denial before stone crept across his body, spreading outward from each droplet of potion that had landed on him. In seconds he was a statue, an arm raised to protect himself, cold lifeless stone.

Mizar sank to the floor. She'd done it. The prince was gone, her home that much freer.

Only a moment to breathe before Alcor threw his head up in alarm. “The king! He's called out the other demons!”

“Go,” Mizar said. Her father looked back, his ears pinned to his head, eyes wide, hesitant and afraid. “You broke free, you can do this! We believe in you!”

Then he flashed a smile, filled with fangs sharp as knives, and an instant later had his arms around Mizar.

For just a moment she leaned into those arms, into their familiar comfort she'd come so close to losing. “I'm so proud of you,” her father whispered into her hair. “I love you, shooting star.”

Then he was gone, leaving Woodsman and Mizar alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ _How to Train Your Dragon – Battling the Green Death; Thomas Bergersen/Two Steps From Hell – Promise; End theme – AmaLee – Unyielding Wish English Version (Magic Knight Rayearth)_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXu45PkbKA&list=PLEHM9DdBeU82XYkZ57pFnlCpXlvUPK_IN&index=36&t=0s)

Alcor appeared in the main hallway with a roar and a swirl of shadows and a flare of blue fire, an entrance designed to startle and shock and give him a moment to see what was happening.

Five demons hovered around King Cipher, the same five Alcor had been forced to flee from that terrible day eighteen years ago.

People stood in the hall, across from King Cipher and his demons, surrounded by his guards. People armed with whatever they could find, citizens of the city, people who looked at Alcor with sudden hope.

King Cipher looked down at Alcor where he hovered between him and his prey, and frowned deeply. “Can't that boy of mine do anything right?” he said, shaking his head. “Never mind. It looks like I'll have to take care of it. Pets, capture him for me. Men, help them!”

The humans hesitated while the demons, emotionless and forced to obey, converged on Alcor.

Who smiled tauntingly before lunging.

\---XXX---

Mizar and Woodsman pounded up the stairs, their harsh breaths echoing off the walls.

The halls were deserted, but rang with noise, all of it coming from the main hall. It was confused babble from this far away, slowly growing as they raced towards the front of the castle.

They hit the double doors at the end of the hallway, throwing them open with a bang that echoed around the hall.

Down below, everything stopped, and a hundred sets of eyes looked up at them.

Of the five demons King Cipher had bound, only two remained. They couldn't tell what had happened to the other three – they were simply gone, whether their bindings were broken or they were dead they couldn't tell.

Usually, a demon with a broken binding would attack the one who had bound them, but with King Cipher still holding others...

Alcor – Mizar's father – hovered between Cipher and his demons and the people of his daughter's kingdom. His clothes were disheveled and ripped, in a state Mizar had never seen her pristine father in, but not a scratch marked any of the mortals behind him.

Guards lying on the ground ringed the room, many of them clutching some portion of their anatomy or lying still, only their breathing showing that they still lived.

Then Alcor took the chance provided and threw himself at the closer demon.

There was a sound like rope snapping, like a chain being broken, and King Cipher yelled in fury. The other demon lunged, but Alcor was ready, and the sound was repeated.

Both demons collapsed, moaning softly.

“Cesar is a statue,” Mizar announced, her voice carrying across the room and echoing through the open doors to the courtyard. “You are outnumbered, and your demons are defeated. Surrender now, Cipher!”

“No!” Cipher shouted back, his cape whipping about him as he reached for his sword. “This kingdom is mine, and I will do whatever it takes to keep it! The Queen is still mine, and I will raise more demons! My son may have failed to bind Alcor, but I will not!”

His free hand reached for something else under his tunic, and Alcor moved.

Just enough to release the freed demons.

They looked at him, then to the king, and back to the stronger demon.

None could hear what Alcor said to them, but the shrank away from him before looking at the former king.

One licked what passed for lips, and the two shared a nod before lunging at their former captor.

Cipher had time for a single scream before the three of them disappeared in a blaze of fire.

\---XXX---

The room was deathly still, everyone staring at the spot where King Cipher had stood a moment before.

Then the room erupted with cheers, cries of victory and chants of Mizar's name, interspersed with Alcor's.

Alcor disappeared from the hall, reappearing on the balcony with Mizar and Woodsman. He drew his daughter in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.

“I'm so proud of you,” he whispered. Mizar scrubbed at her eyes, smiling up at him.

“Not bad yourself, old man,” she laughed softly.

He ruffled her hair and let go. “Better go address your people,” he said. “They're waiting for you.”

“My mother...” she said uncertainly.

“I'll go and free your mother,” he said, floating backwards. “Go on now.”

Mizar smiled at him again and stepped forward, looking over her people. Down below, Wendy caught her eye, giving her a thumbs up, and Mizar burst into delighted laughter.

She threw her arms up into the air, and cried out, “We won! We won, everybody!”

The chant was taken up with a roar, and the city cheered for its freedom.

\---XXX---

Mizar was crowned two days later, her mother and Alcor at her side and the Woodsman standing by her throne. As the crown was lowered onto her head, the city rejoiced, and a wave of color swept over the room.

Gold light shimmered over the castle as grey stone lightened, brightening to shining white. Statues and tapestries brightened, changing from terrifying gargoyles to playful ones, from scenes of conquest to scenes of peace.

The light spread across the land, colors brightening as it passed, and the statues it touched softened. Cold stone dissolved until smooth skin was revealed and one by one, the people trapped in stone awoke, helped down from the pedestals by their rejoicing friends and family.

Peace and the rightful ruler had returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sure was a ride. :) I hope you all enjoyed taking it along with me! I know it took a lot longer than anticipated, but, well...that tends to happen for me.


End file.
